I lift up my eyes to the mountains—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 watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 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
Every time I go on our mission trip to Honduras, I feel so at peace and so alive when we are there. Life slows down. It seems so simple and uncomplicated. No TV, very little Internet access, beautiful scenery and weather. Recently, we asked all the teams who had been on the trips what they enjoyed the most and what was the most spiritual thing about the trip. Overwhelmingly, the answers were – group devotionals, having time alone to pray, praying with the families we helped, praying with individuals – time with God.
Then everyone agrees that we come back home and life returns to the normal craziness. There never seems to be enough time in the day to spend with God. At every turn there seems to be a distraction or an obstacle to overcome. There is never enough time. Our devotional life gets pushed aside.
A good friend and member of our Honduras team once said to me that he woke up every morning and said one word to God – Help. At the end of every day he said he said one more word to God – Thanks.
Those two simple but powerful words may sound too simplistic to you, however they have been life changing for me.
The simplicity formed a habit within me. I can no longer use an excuse of being too busy or too tired. One word in the morning – one word in the evening. It probably takes ½ a second, yet it has become the focal point of each day.
This simple action helps turns my attention to my need for His presence and guidance in my daily life. I become more aware of my dependence upon Him. When I receive a word of encouragement from a friend or there is an unexpected turn in a situation, I know from where my help comes.
At the end of the day, I can reflect on how through each step of my day I received His help and so I cannot end without expressing my thankfulness.
The One Thing – one word in the morning, “Help” – one word in the evening, “Thanks.”
Julie Robinson, Director of Studio 222
