Louise Gevers

“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. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep … The LORD will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:1-4, 7- 8.

How do we know that God is on our side? We live knowing that He equips us with everything we need for life, but when things go wrong and we suffer, feel depressed, or are experiencing difficulties in living our everyday life, some may ask if God knows what we’re going through and whether He cares; or whether we’ve done something wrong and have somehow stumbled out of His line of vision.

Life has never been plain sailing, but I had an experience early this year which challenged my understanding of this important question. Since my early childhood I have trusted God to be with me and my faith has grown through the many different experiences in my life of growing up and living as a Christian in this world, the good and the prickly.

One evening, while returning from watering my beloved, but dry, lavender bushes from a large basin of water I’d saved, some stones on the garden path rolled underfoot, causing me to overbalance and fall hard on my hand. As I picked myself up, rubbing the ‘bruise’, I realised that the pain was steadily worsening and, long story short, later came home from Emergency with a strapped up wrist, and two operations waiting in the wings.

I was shocked that I had broken my wrist all by myself in such relaxed, serene conditions on a beautiful summer’s evening. But why, when everyone knows accidents happen? What immediately came to my mind on that night as I went down was, “He will not let your foot slip” (Psalm 121:3) – a little perplexing in my context – but clearly better understood as not to be taken literally!

The message throughout the Bible is to trust God and persevere through hardship.  Suffering is not the end of the story. He did not let my foot slip; instead His infinite love and care for me unfolded in many different ways and through different people, turning my distress and pain into a valuable time of comfort, healing and restoration.

Sometimes we slip, but we’re never outside of our Father’s love and care; in His time - the right time - He transforms our suffering into something precious, because trials remould and grow our faith and help us to grow closer to Him and to trust Him more.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for being with us through trials and hardships that we may learn perseverance, through which we will “become mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:4 ) Amen