“This is what the LORD says:  Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the vast number; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15

Boldly I spoke, “LORD, You know what is happening in this place. You have not given words to my child so he cannot tell me. But I know what is transpiring and I entrust this to You! The battle is Yours! Fight for this child!”

And yet, when my precious child must leave his haven of love and safety and go out into a world he doesn’t fully understand, and is unable to speak his needs, I worry. I remember the tears flowing down my child’s face. I watch my child in the rear-view mirror, singing, laughing, dancing in his seat, yet when we reach a familiar path of a place that he needs to go, the smile turns to a frown, his head drops in defeat, and a low whimper emerges… my heart is crushed. I cry out, God! Why aren’t you fighting for him?!

One day turns into another. The strain of trying to manage this crisis is affecting his health.  I’m sure he wonders why I am allowing this injustice to continue. Nonetheless, I know it’s not physical cruelty but mental demoralization due to ignorance. The child doesn’t know that I am fighting for him and his rights but the numbers against me also are growing.  I cry louder, God! He is an innocent child suffering so deeply! I am surrounded with no help in sight!

On a different day, the child slowly descends the stairs with his bag behind him and a weight on his shoulders. We make it to the end of the drive and he lethargically gives his faithful pup a treat as I mouth the words assuring his companion as he leaves from this spot he will after so many hours return to this same spot. His four-legged companion is partially blinded by the child’s suffering because of her love for him.

The days have been long and hard. No longer does the child find comfort in his mother’s long warm embrace. He knows she loves him with a never-ending love… but not even the hugs or kisses bring him comfort or joy.

Skidamarink a dink a dink, skidamarink a do, I love you.

His formerly cherished transport arrives. Head bent down, the loving warm greeting from the driver swirls past him like leaves floating in the wind, but with his eyes filled with tears, the child doesn’t even notice. He walks down the barren dark aisle and slumps into his seat. No longer does the window entice him to give a final glance to his mother. He doesn’t know that behind her glasses are a thousand tears waiting to explode. The vehicle creeps away.

Safe inside from any eyes being able to see, the mother sits at the desk with the Bible opened in front of her. She pours out her tears and her heart before the LORD.

And the LORD whispers to her…

Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

The mother decides that both she and her son need a desperate, healing respite. She carries the child away in their motorized chariot to a secret garden where the heartbreaking arrows can’t penetrate the child’s mind. They arrive with the sun lighting their path. The aroma of the wind is of scented flowers. The birds joyfully wave as they fly around their heads whistling happy tunes. The mother propels the child in his wheeled sled down familiar and unfamiliar trails.

The mother swiftly turns the corner and is awestruck by what lies before her eyes. To any other person, it would look like a pile of common rocks, but to her, the vision was clear…memorial stones. She gazes at the stones, unable to breathe. Joy, gratitude, and praise swell up from her soul.

Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a marker. (Genesis 28: 18). The LORD spoke to Jacob in a dream about his future.

Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, “What do these stones mean to you?” (Joshua 4:5-6). The LORD parted the Jordan river so they could cross over on dry land.

Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, “The LORD has helped us to this point.” (1 Samuel 7:12).

The mother remembered and smiled; how many times has the LORD helped us to this point?

The time the officials told you that the child would never be yours…

The scores of times you were protected traveling overseas…

The myriad of times that the LORD has supplied every physical need…

The mother, now immersed in peace glanced to see the child in the sled with wheels gaining speed down the path. At the speed of light, she ran after the escaped sled and snatched it before it careened into the waiting pond. The child was now laughing! The first laugh in numerous weeks. The mother too erupted into laughter.

A moment in time later, the Lord moved. Prayers were answered. The child’s feet were no longer dragging as he made his way down the drive. His head was up and watching as his once again cherished transport arrived to take him to his daily destination. The child began returning at the end of the day with a smile on his face. He no longer feared the morning trips. He loved listening to his mother sing again in the morning. Changes slowly happened.

Why my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:5)

I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD! (Psalm 27:13-14)

Waiting for the LORD to answer in the middle of a crisis takes patience and perseverance. Sometimes the LORD answers quickly, sometimes it takes a long time. God waits for us to see if our faith will stand firm when everything around us is crashing down.

Are you struggling right now? Do you believe that God is not hearing you? Stand firm! Give it to God, He will fight the battle for you. You may have to take some steps and work, but He will open the doors.

The best thing that you can do in a crisis is to pray first, trust always, and remember all the times that the LORD has been faithful to you before. You might gather some stones to remember.

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:13-14)