Just Look Up

A very good friend and sister in the Lord has been struggling with depression and a type of anxiety which causes her to pass out. Tests indicate that there is no problem with her heart.

One day, I felt a need to visit and pray with her. We made the arrangements, and off I went, praying through most of the 40-minute drive that the Holy Spirit would already be there and would be with us as we spent time together.

She shared mostly negative things from the past: hurts, mistakes made by different church people, and so on. I tried to remind her that those are in the past and that she only causes herself pain by reliving them. I spoke of positive situations.

"Yes," she'd reply, but then she would share something else negative. It felt like a tug-of-war with the devil.

I silently asked God, "What is this all about? This is not what I thought the afternoon was going to be like after praying most of the way and then singing the rest of the time. So, God, what is happening?"

Thank goodness, her 84-year-old mom who is bedridden and loves the Lord, called her from the other room. My friend excused herself, and I left to go to the washroom.

God is amazing and shows up with answers no matter where or when! I went to flush the toilet, which flushes by moving a knob instead of a handle. I had been there before, but there was a Holy Spirit pause in my memory, because I turned the knob both ways — and nothing happened. It was crazy; I couldn't figure out how to flush the toilet. Then, I remembered and pulled the knob up. Well, I started to laugh, and I thought, When you want something to work, you have to look up — or pull up, in this case!

I was still chuckling when she returned. When she questioned me about that, I shared my eye-opening experience. It's so true: we have to look up when we want — and need — things to work. She chuckled and agreed with me. "Yes, God is the answer for everything."

The atmosphere and conversations were different for the rest of the visit, and even her facial expressions changed. Praise God! We can turn to the left or right and get no answers, but if we stay focused on God, we will have victories.

Psalm 121:1-2 – 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. (NIV)

Philippians 3:14 – I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

Do we have a knob in our hand right now? Are we caught up in a difficult situation or a distressing decision that we are trying to figure out or solve on our own? Is it distracting us from looking up for God's guidance? Let's stay focused on His Word and His promises, which will always remind us to look up!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are so humbled by the fact that You love us and You always have the right answer for us. We may not always see it that way, so we ask Your Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the understanding that Your ways are higher than ours. Give us the strength to stay focused on Christ and not only on the situation at hand. In His precious name, we pray. Amen.

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