Need Help

Occasionally—not as often as I’d like but far more than I deserve—God speaks to my heart in an immediate, unmistakable way. There’s no time to think about it. There’s no time to wonder whether or not the thought or impression was from God. The moment is so clear that there’s no doubt it was God who spoke.

That’s what happened recently when my husband and I drove 11 hours to visit our 20-month-old grandson, William. Oh yeah. . .his mom and dad were there, too. We hadn’t seen them in six months and we were amazed at all William had learned in that period of time. He’d mastered walking and was on to running. No longer was a lid required for drinking out of a cup and using a fork was no problem. No longer was he making baby sounds. He had begun to says words and put together short sentences.

And—are you ready for this?—he could say our grandparent names! My heart absolutely melted when he’d spot me and say “Dee Dee.” Nothing thrilled me more than hearing him call out my name.

And nothing got me moving faster than hearing William say one very short sentence: “Need help.” Whenever he faced a challenge, he’d look at one of the adults in the room and say, “Need help.”

I cannot describe what I felt when I heard William’s voice but just when I thought my heart would burst with joyous emotion, God spoke. Clearly, unmistakably He said, “My child, what you feel right now when you hear William call your name, what you feel when he asks you for help is exactly what I feel when you call out to me.”

And so this morning, as I sat with a burdened heart and jumbled thoughts, I silently cried out to my Heavenly Father. My thoughts were too messy to form an eloquent prayer so I simply said, “Need help.” Only now, I understand that calling God’s name and whispering “Need help” thrilled my Father’s heart, even as He calmed my spirit and brought peace to my mind.

Consider these words from Isaiah 30 and Psalm 91:

“How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you” (Isaiah 30:19 NIV).

“When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them” (Psalm 91:15 NLT).

I don’t know what you’re facing right now, but I do know this. Your Heavenly Father will be thrilled to hear you call out His name. He wants to hear you say, “Need help.”