By Sandra Sheridan

Psalm 10:1, 14 “Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? … But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; You are the helper of the fatherless.”

The gnawing raked my insides as the pressure of being late for work clashed with my concern over the lost puppy. I had gotten up early and let Emily’s puppy, Layla, outside to stretch her legs. That was only 30 minutes before and now Layla was nowhere to be seen.

Emily rushed downstairs and we called and searched for her lost pet, but to no avail. The air was silent and there was no movement on the road or in the fields. I glanced at the clock and prayed, “Lord, please bring this prodigal back soon. I don’t have time for this.”

Emily jumped in her car and zoomed down the lane to search further when a thought came to me – Dad had put the garbage cans away in the chicken barn before leaving this morning. I dashed to the barn, flung open the door and out came Layla, licking and wagging.

Frantically I waved my arms and tried to catch Emily as she turned onto the road but she didn’t see me. Without realizing that Layla was right at home all the time Emily headed in the other direction to continue the search.

This experience got me thinking about all the times we search for something that is right under our noses. So often when trouble comes into our lives we search and search for something or someone to help us but can’t seem to find what we are looking for?

While we are frantically searching for a remedy, God is right there. He sees all our trouble and grief and desires to be our source of strength and help. He never leaves us alone, but the pain of the trial often blinds us to His presence.

The Psalmist thought that God was hiding from him. The lies and threats from the enemy filled his mind with such fear that for a brief instant he forgot the unchangeableness of God’s character, and the extent of His love.

But suddenly a thought dawned on him. He remembered that God was near and He always heard the cry of His children. His thought processes shifted as he called for God to come and help. He said, “But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; You are the helper of the fatherless.”

If only we could keep our perspective right, we wouldn’t wonder, “Where is God? when disaster strikes, or frantically search in all the wrong places. We, like the Psalmist, would remember that our Help is closer than we thought. In fact, He is right there all the time, longing to comfort and encourage us. At the proper moment He will step in and make all things right.

I finally got Emily on the cell and she turned around and came home. Layla greeted her with doggy kisses, completely unaware of all the frantic searching and worrying we had done. I sighed as I grabbed my workbag and hustled to the car. What a waste of time!

As I drove down the lane, I determined that the next time a difficult experience came my way I wasn’t going to spin my wheels searching for answers, but immediately turn to my ever-present God.

And the next time I can’t find one of the dogs, I’m going to make a beeline for the chicken barn. — Love Mama

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Sandra Sheridan is a Midwest wife and mother of five. She shares her messages to her children with our readers. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.com.