LorD, wHere Are You?
by Kristi Dews Dale
I was crying. It was not a pretty, dotting-youreyes
gently-with-a-handkerchief cry, either. It was
a big, sad, ugly cry. My friend sat beside me on the
floor. She knew that I was crying for my son.
We’ve recently adopted a seven-year-old boy
from China. He came to us with the clothes on his
back and a small bag of candy. But he also came
to us with invisible baggage from a life lived in an
orphanage without a family.
Long before we met him, he experienced
several medical challenges, including an openheart
surgery with no one by his side. As a result,
his spirit is often restless, and his body is filled with
anxiety. It’s difficult for him to understand that he
now has parents and three sisters who love him.
In fact, it’s been a struggle for all of us.
I looked up at my friend with a tear-stained face
and said, “I don’t know how to help my son. I’m
his mom, and I don’t know what to do.” I felt so
helpless—and sometimes I still do.
My husband and I want to comfort our son and
help him adjust to life in our family. He is such a
smart and sweet boy, but he has endured much
trauma in his young life. His past—plus the present
struggle of understanding our language and his
ever-changing emotions—has created a difficult
situation for us all.
In this season, one thing has become very clear:
I need to draw close to God. Knowing this, I have
sought comfort in God’s Word continually. My
friend has comforted me as well, often reminding
me of God’s truths—yet I continue at times to feel
that God is far from me.
Have you ever felt this way?
We’re not alone. King David felt this way too.
He faced many challenges in his life. The Bible
shows us his despair. “Do not abandon me, O
Lord,” he said. “Do not stand at a distance, my
God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior”
(Psalm 38:21–22).
David was called “a man after God’s own heart”
(1 Samuel 13:14), yet he felt far from God too.
That brings me comfort.
But even when I feel alone, like David, I must
never forget the truth that God has not abandoned
me. He is near, and His promises of victory always
remain steadfast.
I write God’s never-failing truths on my hands.
In hard times, I remind myself that that is the very
time I must press in and draw close to God. Psalm
143:6 says, “I stretch out my hands to You; my soul
longs for You, as a parched land” (NASB).
David paints a picture of a person stretching
to get as close to God as possible. That is what
I must do. That is what we all must do when we
are overwhelmed and feel far from God. We must
pour ourselves into His Word and cry out to Him.
“In my distress, I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord
answered me and set me free” (Psalm 118:5).
And then there’s Psalm 40:1–4: “I waited
patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned
to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the
pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He
set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as
I walked along. He has given me a new song to
sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see
what he has done and be amazed. They will put
their trust in the Lord. Oh, the joys of those who
trust in the Lord.”
As David drew closer to God, his praise for God
increased, and he discovered a new song. A heart
that stretches out to God becomes a joyful one.
My son’s favorite psalm is Psalm 103. “Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless
His holy name” (NKJV). To hear my son sing these
words is like rain on a withered flower. God uses
my son (even with his limited English) to remind
me to praise Him in the midst of a challenging
time in our family.
So today, I praise Him. And I am hopeful.
God will give my husband and me wisdom to
parent this blessing He has given us. I praise God
for the victories He has already provided for my
son—a good medical report, the ability to attend
school, and learning to read are just a few of
these victories. The way he adores playing with his
sisters as he learns about the love of family is a real
miracle in these early months.
One day, I will see my son fully grown into
the man God intends. In the meantime, I will
continually seek Him and praise God for His
faithfulness. I will press on in His strength and rest
in His goodness. And I will bless His holy name.
DavId pAintS a PictUre Of a perSoN
strEtchIng To gEt aS clOse To god As
posSiblE. tHat Is wHaT i muSt dO. tHaT
is What we All Must do When we ArE
oveRwheLmed and feeL faR frOm god.
We Must pouR ouRselVes Into His
WorD anD crY ouT to Him. “In My
disTresS, I praYed To tHe lOrd,
and the LorD anSwerEd mE anD
set me FrEe” (pSalm 118:5).
10 kojministries.org Issue 4 2017
/kojministries.org