Quarantined in the Waiting Room

STORY: High Risk But Not Helpless

I donned the medical mask, trying not to think what it represented. I am high risk for communicable diseases and this was my second outing from self-isolation. The first outing didn’t go well, as I observed many not social distancing. This time I was more prepared to witness the neglect from others towards the weaker members of society. But it didn’t make it any easier.

Alcohol wipe in hand, I punched the elevator buttons. I used my own pen to sign in rather than risk exposure. I found a seat in the waiting room away from others. And that began my wait to hear news about my cancer status. The good news is, I don’t have a cancer recurrence. The bad news is, I’m no closer to feeling safe being in public. It’s not worry or fear. It’s wisdom and discernment.

But there’s one thing that remains. My God was with me in that doctor’s waiting room and he’s here to help me as I’m quarantined in the waiting room of life. He’s here to help you too!

STUDY: How Our God Helps

He Comforts

Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. (Psalm 10:17 NLT)

• Something stands out to me about that first sentence. The helpless are not without hope. When we are helpless, let’s make sure we don’t also feel hopeless. How can we tap into our hope during times of helplessness?
• Not only do we have hope, God knows our hopes. And not only does he know our individual thoughts and hopes, he hears us when we cry. What a personal God!
• One of the ways he helps us is to comfort us. What in your life needs comforting right now?

He Supports

You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great. (Psalm 18:35 NLT)

• What is a shield used for?
• When God protects you, he also brings you victory.
• On the way to our victories, when we need help, God gives us support. It says his right hand, which means he uses his strength to support us, and he makes it a priority (right hand is a position of preference).
• Because we have his shield we have victory. Because we have his support and help we are made great. Those are hugely positive benefits during negative times.
• What in your life needs support right now?

The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. (Psalm 145:14 NLT)

• This verse shows us another way God gives us support. What does he do?
• When we fall, God is there for us. We never have to say “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” Instead, we can say, “I’ve fallen, and God will help me back up!” The term fallen doesn’t always mean falling into sin. It can also represent a struggle or getting tripped up by burdens or circumstances outside of our control.
• “Bent beneath their loads,” is such a graphic description of being burdened. When you are in that state, what does it mean to imagine God lifting you up?

He Listens

For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help. (Psalm 22:24 NLT)

• What a compassionate passage this is! What comfort do you gain from reading it?
• When you are suffering or needy, it’s easy to feel alone and unheard. God notices and hears you.
• For what are you crying out to God today?

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. (Psalm 86:1 NLT)

• This psalm also shows God helps by listening. What does it mean to you, to see God bending down to hear us? (I see Jesus when he encouraged the little children to come to him, and he bent down to hear their words. It shows one in great authority changing positions to be at eye-level with us.)
• God hears our prayers. We ask him for help. It’s a switch from the “I’ll do it myself” mentality we tend to have. When do you ask God for help—at the beginning of a problem or after you’ve tried to fix it and failed? Why do we tend to wait?

He Restores

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. (Psalm 30:2 NLT)

• One of the times we cry out to God is when we have a health issue. This doesn’t say a physical health issue, but it’s implied. God does sometimes restore our physical health, and we need to give him credit for it (whether he uses medicine and doctors, or he delivers a miracle). We can be certain he is also at work restoring the health of our spirits and souls. Wellness and wholeness come when we cry out to God for help.
• What aspect of wellness are you trying to fix today? How can God help?
• What does the word restore mean to you?

He Rescues

The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him. (Psalm 37:40 NLT)

• If you’ve ever been attacked by a grown-up bully, you know the need of rescue. If you’ve ever been abused, you know the safety of God’s shelter. Think of a time God rescued you personally, or someone you know. Or perhaps he sent someone to help. Has there been a time you were the one God dispatched to help someone else in need?
• Look at the actions of God here: He helps. He rescues. He saves. He shelters.
• What does shelter mean to you?

STEPS: Help is Available

1. Be ready to receive help. So often we try to manage on our own.
2. See God’s help as a form of his love.
3. Extend help to others, showing God’s love to them.

Copyright © 2020 Kathy Carlton Willis, used with permission.