Even a five-year old child knows the significance of the telephone number 9-1-1. It’s the magic number that unlocks incredible lifesaving resources in a matter of seconds. Those confronted with a life-threatening situation have only to call 9-1-1 to find help in time of need, comfort in the face of danger, and protection from the forces that would seek to harm and destroy. But stop for a moment and ask yourself this question: Why do people in trouble reach for the phone and dial 9-1-1? Is it because
- they THINK someone might be not he other end of the line to hear their plea?
- they HOPE there is help to be found somewhere?
- they WISH there was solution to their dilemma? or
- they KNOW someone who is trained, ready, willing and able to help is poised to respond the instant their call arrives?
Where do we turn in times of trouble – when things are difficult? Do we have a close friend to turn to in troubled times? Are we close enough with our spouse – if we’re married – to turn to them in troubled times? How about our parents? How about a sibling? How about a co-worker? How about a close friend? Do you logic and reason your own way through it?
If we’ve turned to any of the above, we probably have had mixed results. At times we have gotten what we needed from them. At times we have gotten what we needed and it wasn’t what we were seeking. At times we probably didn’t get a listening ear (if that was what we were after), but rather we got someone trying to fix our trouble. At times the person is so close to us that they automatically side with us and maybe we don’t hear what we need to hear. I’m sure there are many other experiences as well.
Have we ever taken a trouble to someone who had no power to make any change in the situation or troubled area? How frustrating is that we think? How frustrating to need someone to listen and finding the person we turn to not ready, able, or willing to listen. Here is a Psalm that might help us in times of trouble. Read it and give me your feedback about it!
Psalms 46:1-11 –1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 8 Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
We do have One we can turn to in all circumstances. We have One we can turn to that has power over all things. God is ever ready to hear our hearts and our cries. God is ready and able to impact our lives as we express our concerns. Yoga is our fantastic way to prepare the mind and the body to hear from God. Yoga provides us a way to sit down on the inside so that we can hear the wisdom and guidance of the Divine Spirit that lives within us all. If we simply tune it in to tune out, we can find answers. We can find clarity. We can find release. We can find healing furor bodies, our minds, our hearts and our souls. God created everything and I am sure glad He is in control and sees things throughout the big picture where my eyes only see the drama in front of me. They do not see the ripple effect; the growth potential in the moment I am experiencing, the blessing I will be to someone else who experiences something similar, the way my situation will touch the lives of others and the ripple effect through each of these people…..and it goes on and on.
Researchers in the field of psychoneuroimmunology (mind/body interplay) report growing evidence on the positive effects of faith in God (or something greater than ourselves) on your health. These experts contend that the human body has a powerful sacramental dimension to it, and those who acknowledge this with a strong sense of higher purpose--a body-soul connectedness--are the ones who are more likely to stay with programs that lead to optimal health. Having faith in something greater than yourself offers a type of curative power, helping you to disconnect unhealthy worries and replace these with soothing belief.
In Greek, the word for faith is “pistis,” which means the act of giving one’s trust. Trusting in God permits us to trust and commit to proven medical, nutritional or fitness regimes we know will benefit us. Likewise, according to the latest medical research, faith is healthy and even healing. Many studies of late have found that people who are active in like-minded faith organizations and attend group functions regularly are also healthier with reports of lower blood pressure, less depression and greater longevity.
Perhaps the most famous faith study was done on prayer and conducted by Dr. Randolph Byrd, a cardiologist at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center. He took 393 people who had been admitted to the hospital with a heart attack. All of the subjects received the same high-tech, state-of-the-art coronary care, but half were also prayed for by name by prayer groups around the country. No one knew who was being prayed for--the patients, the doctors, the nurses. The prayed-for group had fewer deaths, faster recovery, less intubations, and used fewer potent medications.
When life seems to be out of control and circumstances are disconcerting as a three-alarm fire, you have several options to how you will respond. You can lean on your own strength and understanding, even though you’ve been warned not to (Proverbs 3:5). You can surround yourself with busyness or indulge yourself in pleasure, but that own’t remove the feelings of fear and inadequacy. You can ignore your problems and hope they will go away, but chances are they won’t. Or you can call upon God, the only one who has promised never to leave you or forsake you (Mathew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5). It may sound like a simple solution—and in some ways it is. But when the Tower of Strength and Mercy like that awaiting your call twenty-four hours a day, who would you look elsewhere for help?
Onward and Upward!
