August 11

When our children were all still younger and, in our home, we went on a family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. My father and mother went with us on this particular vacation. We went in an “off-peak” time, and it was very nice, because we had an entire beach almost to ourselves. We all enjoy swimming, so we would go to the beach each day and spend from mid-morning until mid-afternoon there. The waves were different than any other time I have been to an ocean. It must have been one of the reasons it was “off-peak.”

One day, my mother was coming in from being further out in the ocean, and a wave knocked her over. None of us paid much attention to her, because she was a very good swimmer. After a few times of trying to get up, but continuing to be knocked over by waves, my mother began calling out for help. All four of our kids ran to help her … to no avail. By the time my father and I arrived, my mother was being rolled up and down with the waves, and all five of them (my mother and our four kids) were laughing uncontrollably. It was funny by then, but it was not before that time.

Today I read, “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season” (Psalm 145:14-15). I am so thankful that the Lord comes to pick us up when we fall down. I know that none of us likes to admit it; but we all fall down in life. We all fail to live without sin, and we need the help of someone who is not in the sin we are in to pull us from it. When my mother was having trouble getting to her feet, she needed someone who was not struggling to help her up.

I will be eternally grateful for the many times God has come to my rescue (too many to number). There is something that is required for Him to raise us up after we have fallen, and it is found in verse 15. We need to wait for His timing. My timing is always, “right now!” His timing is always perfect. He knows the lessons I need to learn, and He knows how much time it will take me to learn them. He not only rescues me, but He does it at exactly the right time for me. He allows the perfect amount of time for me to learn all that He wants me to learn.

I don’t know where you are right now, but I am sure that there will be times you will fall in the future. None of your family can help you up. You need the Lord to come alongside you and bring you back to where you need to be. He is a gracious and powerful God Who can help you every time.

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