Exactly what we need


I spent much of this past weekend and yesterday flat on my back in agony. Okay, maybe not quite agony. But I was in a whole lot of pain. Somehow, I threw out my back and gave myself a mini bout of sciatica all rolled into one (I blame the little kid I had to lift onto the bus in the sleet and ice on Friday). Talk about perfect timing, when I start my internship tomorrow.

Those of you who are health geeks like me, you know that sciatica is usually caused by stress. And I was under a lot of stress. I was (still am) nervous about going into a high school to try to help these kids who may have seen in their 14-18 years a lot more heartache and misery than I have. And I'm the adult, trying to help them, trying to guide them into good career paths and help them get through the daily grind and the breakups and the bad family situations, etc. etc. etc. How do I help kids going through things I’ve never faced? How can I show them I care, that God cares? I'm unsure how to help students struggling with issues such as homosexuality and teen pregnancy and birth control and abortion which I believe are wrong. But those will be my students, and I want to show them I care about them and want to help them even though their values go against my own. And then my university was having trouble confirming my school placements (one of them is still not confirmed) even though the district I'll be working with has it all set up like it is (oh and by the way, they told my university back in November it was all set up), and I still have work and I’m trying to eat right and workout and write and figure out Amazon's publishing system and take care of my pets...

Yeah, I spent some of this weekend split between whether I wanted to cry or throw a fit. I have a lot on my plate right now. I work, but I'm also a student who's trying to get a novel published. Not to mention everything else. I felt overwhelmed, like everything was going against me, and I was sick of it. And, unfortunately, life is like that a lot of times for all of us. We have never-ending to-do lists, oodles of commitments, so much to do.

When I went to have my devotions on Sunday, begging for help, when I was feeling downright miserable, the story I read talked about how God gives us exactly what we need. A village in Africa needed rain, and when the missionaries prayed to God, He opened the clouds and caused it to rain for a whole week, even though it was out of season.[1] He gave them exactly what they needed, when they needed it, not a moment too soon, not a moment too late.

Anyone else get a chill? God had it planned that I would read that devotional right when I needed it most. No matter what we're going through, He always gives us exactly what we need. He promises in Isaiah 65:24 that, "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear" (NKJV). God knows what we need, even better than we do. And He answers our prayers for wisdom, guidance, help even before we're finished asking for it.

I'll do my best to keep that in mind tomorrow and through the semester, as I counsel those kids.

Father, thank You for caring so much about us that You hear us and help us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.


[1] Moore, B. (2005). Voices of the faithful: With Beth Moore and friends who put their lives on the line for God. Brentwood, TN: Integrity Publishers.

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