A Prayer for God’s Presence When You Feel Helpless
By: Emily Rose Massey
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2, NKJV).
We started receiving our hospital bills from our youngest son’s birth and on the breakdown of his five-hour NICU stay, “resuscitation” was listed. Of course, seeing that word in black and white really hit me. Clearly, the Lord needed him here. Perhaps his life will have great purpose on earth.
But his first three months of life were so incredibly difficult that it was hard to see beyond the moment. Colic was absolute torture on his tiny body and if I’m being honest, absolute torture on the whole family.
When he was about eight weeks old, I tried to leave the house for about an hour to get a break. My husband got off work and said he would watch the boys for me. I barely made it onto the highway when I got a text from my husband that I needed to come back home. Our son was inconsolable, and he was refusing a bottle. I walked in the door and grabbed my son and gave my husband a scowling look of disappointment.
In that moment, I was reminded that we are selfish creatures and when something is difficult or an inconvenience to our personal comfort, our flesh cannot take it. We want to lash out in anger. We want to cry, scream, or run away to escape it. Listening to a baby scream uncontrollably for hours on end is one of those things that will test you as a Christian on every side. That night, after three hours straight of trying to comfort my boy, I held Jude in the recliner as he screamed inconsolably and writhed in pain with my earbuds blasting worship music. I began to helplessly weep which turned into a panic attack. I prayed, “Lord, I know I don’t deserve Your mercy, but please help.” Suddenly, peace came, even if for a moment.
Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt completely helpless? The situation may make us feel helpless, but the truth is that we have not been left alone without help.
Sometimes our circumstances don’t change, but God reminds us that He is with us in it. That difficult night with my son and every difficult moment as a parent, even though I feel so incredibly helpless, I will continue to lift my eyes where I know my help comes from.
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills - From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2, NKJV).
Our ever-present help in time of need is the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He is also the Maker of my son, Jude, who is a gift from my Heavenly Father. Being a mother will undoubtedly conform me even more into the image of God. God will use these seemingly helpless situations to change us from the inside out and remind us to always cry out to Him, our ultimate help in times of trouble. Instead of wallowing in despair, let us lift our eyes to Him.
Father,
I am discouraged, disappointed, worried, overwhelmed, and burnt-out. I feel downright helpless when life seems to beat me down like this. I know You have not left us orphans and that You are always with us.
I ask that You would remind my heart of this beautiful truth: You are not a Father who would abandon us in our trials or in our pain. You are near to the broken-hearted and You have given us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. You are the help we need when we face various storms in our life.
I lift my eyes to the heavens and know that You hear my cries. I trust that even if my circumstances do not change, You are working in my life to use these hard times to change me to look more like Your Son, Jesus.
In His name I pray. Amen.
Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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