Help is here - take it

Have you heard the story about the guy who prayed to God for help but didn't take what was offered and died as a result? Well, while I might have butchered that story, but I wanted to focus on my own house hold.  My sister has gone through a very rough week.  Starting last week Wednesday, we had all packed up to go to chemo-therapy with her.  My brother joked about the "famine food"  we were hauling with us to the all day hospital visit. My youngest sibling declared that this could be a perfect siblings night outing as we were all together for this trip.  After a surprisingly "quick" treatment session, we headed home with light hearts and joyous spirits. 

Why is it that bad things seem to wait for the cover of darkness to occur?  Have you ever noticed that?  As it happened, that same night my sister had to be taken to emergency in chronic pain.  She groaned all night into the morning.  After coming home, we thought it was over only to be wide awake all through the following night.  Her agony was real and painful for me to watch.  I sought Google for every remedy I could, find but to no avail. As a final resort, I offered her some pain meds.  She was almost delirious with the level of pain she was feeling and I wanted to take the edge off for her; offer some relief.  She looked at the pills and declined the offer!   

So there we were again at the hospital, where she screamed and cried out.   It was intense and now I was helpless - the Tylenol 3 was at home. The help she had rejected was now unavailable and she suffered greatly.  This story has a happier ending than the man who died in my re-tell above.  She was able to get some relief from the nurse who gave her what I had offered before - Tylenol 3.  Oh the irony of it all.  She slept for a while, having now some relief if only for a little while.

It got me thinking about how we all are at times.  I throw no stones because I am sure I have done something similar.  Why do we reject help?  God Himself is our very present help in times of trouble but we opt to ignore, don't ask or simply decide on our own course of relief.  We are foolish when we delay his best for our "good".  I held out those same pills hours before and she said no - God holds out His perfect solution to us and we say no.  The proverb says that what we feel is right in our own eyes often leads to destruction.  Can I get an AMEN?

Friends, Help is here and we ought to just take it.  Lets not be unwise or unwilling but instead lets be pliable and surrender to His plans.  He is the best resource.  He is our help. He is our strength.  He is the great I AM that fulfills and supplies every need.  Don't tell Him no, just say yes.