“Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul would soon have settled in silence.” Psalm 94:17
“I will lift up my eyes to the hill from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121: 1-4
In a time of great sorrow after suffering from my third miscarriage I fell into depression feeling like God had abandoned and forgotten me. There were times I would sit in silence and wonder why I had to suffer yet another tragedy in my life. I would open the Bible but I could not read. I would open my mouth to pray, but no words would come forth. I would try to talk to a friend but I couldn’t speak through the tears. And so I sat in silence!
One day I picked up the Bible and opened it to Psalm 121. I knew this passage and I knew I needed to read it, and claim, it if I was going to get through this trial. It took several minutes before I could actually begin reading but when I did, I saw something I had forgotten I had done years before. In the place of I, my, your, you, and Israel, I had inserted my name. In fact throughout the Psalms I had inserted my name in several passages.
So when I began to read these verses they weren’t just words on a page, they were as a letter written specifically to me. After reading this passage I thumbed through the pages and read more. Something inside of me began to come alive as the words on the pages came to life! And then I turned to Psalm 94:17 and read, “Unless the LORD had been Holly’s help, Holly’s soul would soon have settled in silence.”
I stopped reading! I began to cry and then I began to praise God for bringing me to these truths! I had almost settled for suffering in silence! The weight of the burden had seemed so great that I really didn’t feel I could pick myself up and nobody was coming to my aide to help. It wasn’t that people didn’t try to help, but as you know, sometimes we push away the very people who we need the most! So in actuality I had created the very thing I hated, suffering in silence!
Being the faithful Daddy that He is, God answered my prayer and He lifted me out of my despair as I lifted my eyes to Him. Notice that Psalm 121:1 says “I lift up my eyes”. It doesn’t say I lift up my hand or my leg, or anything else. Why? In His great understanding of our suffering God knows that sometimes we are so weak and we cannot muster up enough energy to do anything more than lift up our eyes. He also has given us examples in the Bible of what happens when we lift our eyes up. Every time we lift up our eyes we get a new perspective of what we see.
For example: God took Abram out of the tent and had him look up to the heavens to give him a new perspective. Joshua looked up and saw the Angel of the Lord and got a new perspective. The Wise Men looked up and saw the star leading to Bethlehem and got a new perspective. And the list goes on. When we look up God gives us a vision of the possibilities of our future, if we are willing to put our hope and trust in Him.
From that day forward, though difficult at times, I began each day by looking up to God for my strength, peace, and hope. And as a result I gained a new perspective about my circumstance and my future. I was able to reengage in life and two years later I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.
So today no matter what you are going through I want to encourage you to look up! In faith believe that as you look up God will give you a new perspective and a vision of your future. Whether it is physical, mental, emotional, relational, or financial look up and put your hope and trust in God! For this is truly where your help comes from!
Prayer: Today I choose to look up to You Oh lord for my help. I believe by faith that as I lift my eyes up you will be my help and you will give me a new perspective. I believe by faith that you rescue me from the snares of the world and from the trials I encounter. I believe that you are an ever present help in my times of trouble. I praise you for never leaving me and for never forsaking me. In You alone I will put my hope and trust. Amen.
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