A Very Present Help

Ben Spector
Jun 10, 2024
2 min read

A few days ago, a good friend sent me Psalm 46:1, and it has rescued me from anxious thoughts and led me to prayer. It says:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

The words “very present” have been particularly encouraging. For Christians, God is not only our refuge and strength, but He is our refuge and strength right here, right now. His help is present with me just like I am present with my son this evening as I sit by his bed and type this update.

It’s been 12 days since we received Liam’s diagnosis. Each day brings new challenges. To be honest, I feel like we’re trying to adjust to a new normal that keeps morphing. What is normal right now? In various ways, we are feeling stretched beyond what we have ever known before. This is why Psalm 46:1 has been so precious to me. God has been faithful to remind me that His help is “very present” when I am facing very-present difficulties. I can, and should, get out of my head, move away from trying to frantically fix things, and turn to the Lord. Sometimes, God’s help has been as simple as a sense of peace in remembering who God is from Psalm 46:1. But man, what a help that is!

Status Update

Regarding Liam, the nurses told us that after blood transfusions, patients usually perk up with lots of energy. Let’s just say today he moved from having turtle-like energy to having the energy of a squirrel (as seen in the pictures). As a parent, it was lovely to see. As the chemo infusion from yesterday kicks in and blood counts drop back down, we’ll likely see a dip in energy. This is to be expected. Overall, the doctors continue to inform us that treatment is going as expected.

On a personal level, as Emily expressed yesterday, we are facing some specific pain points. Flip-flopping between the hospital and home is emotionally taxing as our priorities drastically shift from one place to the next. Emily and I aren’t seeing each other much. Lily and Jack are starting to show signs of wear due to such drastic changes in our home life. Liam has to take prednisone twice a day (it’s a great leukemia killer). It tastes absolutely horrible, and each day it’s becoming harder for him to take it.

I express this because I know many of you want to know how we are and how to pray. All these things listed are to be expected right now. So, we continue to covet your prayers. Thank you for continuing to walk alongside us in this season. It has meant so much to us.

How To Pray: