"Where does my help come from?"

July is one of the most bittersweet months of the year for me.  It was 5 years ago when my dad unexpectedly passed away.  It is bittersweet because, on the one hand, the Bible says for the Christian, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  Thus, my dad has been enjoying what is unspeakable joy and bliss in Heaven.  Conversely, there is pain for the loved ones left behind here on Earth.  I miss him; it hurts to be without him.

For today’s blog, I want to quote from a song by TobyMac called “See the Light”.  I do this for a few reasons: one is because the song has the phrase “keep on keeping on” in it; this is a phrase that my dad used in his sign-off as a Christian radio announcer.  But secondly, it helps me give words to my feelings at this particular juncture of my life.  Check out these words of the song:

“I know this road is getting hard, I heard you say it’s overwhelming…well, I’m here to remind you, it [doesn’t] matter where you come from, I know we can get through this.  It might feel like it’s been so long, but we keep on keeping on.  It might feel like an uphill climb, always some kind of battle, but you’ve got more than you on your side.  And we [are going to] see the light.”  Later on, this lyric is given: “So, go on and lift your hands up, to where your help is coming from.”

Psalm 63:4 says, “I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” I don’t recall the pastor’s name, but I once heard a preacher declare that when you lift your hands, you are non-verbally communicating that you are surrendering.  If a mugger comes at me with a gun, and asks for my wallet, I’m going to lift up my hands and do what he asks!  In other words, I’m going to surrender.  The same principle applies to lifting hands to God.  Incidentally, I continue to learn that surrendering to God isn’t just a one-time thing; it’s daily, and even hourly.

In conclusion, the TobyMac song speaks of “where your help is coming from.”  And this makes me think of Psalm 121:1; which says, “I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.”  If I didn’t have this help, hope, and assurance, I would be completely sunk.  Ultimately, I have no power, strength, and sufficiency in and of myself; my help is from the Lord!  Without Him, I am nothing!

Kevin