I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV, 1978)
Those unfamiliar with the Bible or the promises of Jesus often cannot grasp the attraction to Christianity if, as it appears, believers face the same problems as those who do not. Even for those who follow Christ, the promise of heaven can be hard to fully embrace when today’s problems seem unsurmountable. Everyone has struggles. Life teaches us that. Religion does not have an answer for these conflicts of understanding, but Jesus does.
While preaching on the subject of loneliness, Billy Graham once alluded to the fact that someone can be in a room full of people and still be overwhelmed by the sense of being alone. Everyone eventually needs help, but if there is no one to hear when we call, we can find ourselves in a desperate situation. The Old Testament psalmist knew the source of his help and had personally experienced God’s willingness not only to hear, but to help in time of trouble. So vivid was his experience, that he wrote Psalm 121!
Jesus even warned us that in this life there would be trouble, but He told us that fear is unnecessary because His victory over death and the grave would give us the peace we need to overcome. During my time as a pastor, I welcomed the opportunity to pray one on one with people in their time of need. However, I’ve also had the occasion to witness an unhealthy dependence upon a minister’s prayer when, for whatever reason, they either could not or would not pray for themselves. This situation reveals a sad spiritual disconnect from the overcoming power Jesus promised for troubled times.
I’ll be the first to say that, among the many things I do not fully understand about God, I don’t get how He can love ALL of us the same and hear ALL of us when we pray and answer ALL of us in the way that is going to bring Him the most glory. But the things I don’t understand about God or my problems are not going to prevent me from going to the only One who can actually provide the help I need. Who are you going to call?
