May 8, 2025 God Comes
Thursday, May 8, 2025
God Comes
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1, ESV
“Give me this day my daily bread,” I prayed each morning after surgery. I asked God to come and provide for both the physical and spiritual nourishment I knew I needed to persevere through another day of pain, rehab, and healing.
And God came.
He came to the hospital by way of the doctors, nurses, and physician assistants who each greeted me with a smile, patiently explaining and answering my questions. God attended me through the home health physical therapist’s agency, who answered the phone, “We’re here to serve God by serving His people.”
He came in my sister, Debbie, who drove two hours just to sit with me and walk with me to keep my mind focused away from what hurt. He came through my cousin Sheri, who connected me with her sister, Brenda, who gladly loaned me her icing machine that became a life-saver for reducing swelling and easing pain.
The Lord embraced me with a hand-crocheted prayer shawl delivered by Ellen and the church Care Team. The Lord spoke to me in every encouraging visit, text, phone call, and Get Well card from friends, church family, and my Bible Study of sisters in Christ. He came in the spider plant Brenda brought to brighten my day.
And God came in my husband, Jim, who stayed in lock-step with me preparing myself and home for surgery, driving and patiently waiting for me in every physician and therapy appointment, outlining a schedule of what medications to take when, and reminding me of what the doctor said when I couldn’t remember.
God comes! We do not have to wait for Christ’s Second Coming to experience Him. As the psalmist said, “God is … a very present help.” He comes when dawns every morning (Psalm 46:5). And for that and those who served as His hands and feet during my recovery, I am eternally grateful.
Pray: When have you experienced God’s presence coming through the care, kindness, or help of others? How might God be inviting you to be His hands and feet to someone else today?
Reflect: Present and loving God, Thank You for being my refuge and strength, for showing up in my weakness, my pain, and my uncertainty. Thank You for the people You send—those who speak peace, bring comfort, and carry Your presence in their acts of love. Help me to recognize You in the ordinary and to trust that You are always near, even when the ground beneath me feels unsteady. Make me aware of how I can be a vessel of Your help to someone else today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria Ashby
Lay Leader