Tag: desperate for help

Trudging Up the Steep Hills

Lisa Preuett

Psalm 121:1 “I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.”

It’s painful when you’re trudging up a steep hill. Every fiber of your leg muscles tighten. You feel as if you won’t make it to the top. Your calf muscles silently scream, “Please stop! We can’t go another step!” Instead of looking up ahead at how much farther I have to go, I look down at the ground and literally watch my feet, one step at a time.

There’s something invigorating about finally reaching the top of a steep hill. I finally look up from the ground and realize I’ve made it! Trudging up that hill caused my heart to almost pound out of my chest. My rapid breathing finally slows down. I let out a sigh of relief. Yes! The ground ahead of me begins to level out now. It’s smooth and I can see more of what’s up ahead.

But I take a moment and turn around.  Did I really just come all this way? I stand in awe of the beauty around me. Depending on the season, I might be looking at lush-green trees lining the path behind me, blue sky overhead. At other times I might be looking at autumn leaves splattered with bright orange-red colors. My absolute favorite view at the top of the hill is in winter. The snow-covered trees, glistening in the sparkling light of the sun. I breathe in the air and turn my head back in front of me.

I’ve had my share of steep hills in this life. Some of them I’d rather forget about. But I can undoubtedly say that there’s something invigorating about finally making it to the top. Those trials I thought for sure would kill my soul and squash my spirit. Yes, there are times my heart has nearly broken, fiercely pounding out of my chest. My flesh shouting, “I can’t go another step!” But when I came to the end of that challenge, my breathing slowed down. My tears and anguish turned into joyous breaths of praise. Praise to my Lord Jesus who walked beside me each step of the way.

Did I really just come all this way? I stood in awe of the beauty around me. Not physical surroundings, but the beauty of what God had done in me. The beauty of the strength He equipped me with. The beauty of his promise to never leave me or forsake me. My faith was strengthened. My hope was renewed. My love for Him was magnified. And this view was something I wouldn’t trade for anything.

READY? Where are you, dear friend? Are you gasping for breath, trudging up a steep hill? Do you feel you won’t make it to the top? Does your heart ache and you just want to stop? I encourage you to tightly grip the loving arms of Jesus. He is right beside you as you go up the hill. He is with you every step of the way. He can’t wait to show you the view at the top!

GET SET. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

GO! Lord Jesus, the hills of this life are hard. Sometimes I just want to give up. When I feel this way, please help me remember your truth. Help me cling to the fact that you are with me even though I can’t always see what’s up at the top. Thank you for your promise of being with me each step of the way. Amen

Hill-Running1

 

Blessings to you!

Lisa Preuett 

 

When You Want to Hide

Lisa Preuett

Psalm 91:4  “He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge.”

Do you ever feel like hiding? You know what I mean, those moments when you feel you just can’t take anymore. Those moments when bad news sends you diving into your bed and you just want to pull the covers over your head. Those moments when fear grips you. Paralyzing you to where you can barely breathe. Those moments when you can’t fathom the circumstances you’re forced to walk through.

The thing with hiding is that where you choose to hide can make all the difference in the world. In today’s scripture, David exhorts us to take cover under the mighty wings of God’s refuge. He uses the imagery of a bird covering her chicks with feathers to convey a powerful picture of how God protects us when we feel the urge to hide.

A few weeks ago, my daughter and I were walking along a river. This river was occupied by multiple ducks! At one point we stopped to observe what would become the highlight of our day.

A momma duck was gliding along the water with five fuzzy ducklings trailing close behind. They came to a jagged rock, just inches above the water. The momma duck waddled up onto the top of the rock, patiently waiting for her babies to follow her. One-by-one, they waddled up onto that rock, running right under their momma’s feathers. These ducklings huddled together and basked in the refuge and provision of their momma. At one point when the momma spread her feathers out, you could barely see her babies underneath. A young girl walking with her parents squealed with delight as they noticed the ducks, “Look! A mother duck! Oh, it looks like her babies are playing hide-and-seek!”

What a perfect picture of how God patiently waits for us to run to Him for cover! Just like the momma duck spread her feathers, God longs to spread His protective wings over us when we need to hide.

He longs to cover us.

To shield us.

To console us.

To renew our weary souls.

But we can’t embrace His blessings and comfort if we aren’t close to Him. To be under His wings indicates we are very close.

Close enough to Him to where we feel his heartbeat.

Close enough to hear His gentle whisper.

Close enough to sense His presence.

In my story with the momma duck, I mentioned there were five ducklings. However, it was only four of them who followed her. One of them never made it up to the top of the rock. It kept looking up at momma and its siblings, yet it continued to anxiously swim around and around in circles. Sometimes it looked as if it would follow the same path momma had, but it aimlessly circled the rock over and over again. We yelled at this wandering duckling to get on the rock! “Come on! Your momma is waiting for you. You can do it!” Yet every time it got to the crevice in the rock that would lead it upward, it kept going its own way. The duckling’s siblings were safe under the protective feathers. Shielded in the shadow of strong wings. Close to the heartbeat of their momma. But this little one was missing out.

Where are you, dear friend? Are you plunging yourself under the protective feathers of your loving Father? Are you hiding in the shadow of His wings during your most needy moments? Are you like those ducklings, safely huddled together enjoying comfort and peace?

Or are you like the wandering duckling? Are you anxiously going in circles going nowhere? Maybe you know  the Father longingly waits for you, yet you keep going your own way.

Dear friend, I understand the urge to hide! I know it all too well. I remember days when I wanted to cover up my head, with no desire to see light again. Days when I hid in other things. Other people. But the times I have run into the arms of my Savior to hide, those are the times I’ve felt the power of His presence and the calm of His peace.

I urge you to find your place of hiding under the wings of God almighty. I challenge you to embrace His presence and His promises. I want to encourage you to simply be still and allow His peace to overcome any fear you may be feeling. Climb up on the rock of your refuge and be safe. Be where He wants you to be….under His wings.

Psalm 91:4  “He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge.”

baby ducks

 

Are You on Empty?

Lisa Preuett

I’d just come out of Kroger and was ready to head home. The trunk was full of groceries. My heart full with excitement and joy. We were getting ready to go out on the lake with friends. Listening to the radio blasting with my favorite song, I glanced over to my left and noticed a black Jeep stopped in the middle of the parking lot.

An empty gas can was perched on top of it. Nobody was in the driver’s seat. When my eyes continued to look, I noticed a young woman sitting on the edge of a curb, just feet away from the stopped vehicle. Her head was buried in her hands. She appeared distraught, her body slumped over in defeat.

I pulled over towards her and put down my window. “Is someone coming to help you?” I asked her. When she replied with a desperate, “No”, I asked her if she needed some gas. She shared with me that she’d just left an abusive relationship. She was trying to get to her parents’ house. They were an hour away. Her boyfriend had taken her wallet in an attempt to get her to stay. This young woman had no money. She was stranded.

My heart full of compassion, I immediately realized God had allowed our paths to cross. I filled her empty gas can so she could get her Jeep to the gas pump. And then I offered to fill it up enough to get her to her destination. She humbly accepted.

With one hand she pumped gas, and with the other she wiped tears that would not stop flowing. She knew she was doing the right thing, yet her heart ached. She was torn. She repeatedly blurted, “This is so embarrassing; I’m so sorry to bother you.” Yet I took the opportunity to speak encouragement to her, sharing with her that God had rescued me from my past hurts. I assured her I’d pray for her safety. And for God to guide her in the days ahead.

Driving away from there, I followed through with my promise to pray for her. And as always, God spoke to my own heart through this incident. I wouldn’t have known this woman needed help if she hadn’t placed the empty gas can on top of her vehicle. If she’d remained in her vehicle, with her gas can in the back, nobody would’ve known she needed help. The empty gas can was like a white flag flying overhead shouting “I need help!”

When we are desperately hurting and at the end of our rope, we have two options: We can remain isolated from others, letting pride dictate our actions. We can keep our hurts inside and attempt to handle it ourselves. All the while whispering to ourselves, What will people think?

Or we can humbly ask for help. We can speak up and share our heart’s deepest hurts. What does that look like? It means we cry out in desperation to God and say Okay, I’m on empty. I need to be filled up. And then it may mean we call a trusted friend we can confide in. We humbly admit, I’m at my wit’s end and can’t do this alone. Just like the young woman who was stranded, we put out our empty gas can and ask for help.

So where are you,dear friend? Are you running on fumes, almost on empty? Is there an area of your life where you feel stranded and there seems to be no way out? If so, then I urge you to surrender.

Surrender to your pride.
Surrender to God’s grace.
Surrender to a fellow believer who can walk beside you.

It is only when we admit our emptiness that we can truly be filled. Just as I filled the young woman’s car up with gas, the empty places in your heart can be filled.

Filled with truth.
Filled with grace.
Filled with hope.

Or maybe you are filled up and need to be on the lookout for those who are empty. Believe me, if you look around close enough you will see them. They are there. Maybe they won’t be as obvious as an empty gas can on top of a vehicle in clear view, but if you look close enough you will see the signs:

Of desperation.
Of despair.
Of emptiness.

Either way, I encourage you to allow our Heavenly Father to fill you up if you’re on empty. Or to allow Him to use you in order to fill someone else up.

James 4:6 “God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”

gas can