Timely Help!

 This photograph was taken near the little village of Maidens in South Ayrshire.  The two ‘maidens’ on horseback are Sarah and Simone, daughters of my German friend Meike.  In the background is the island of Arran, often referred to as ‘Scotland in miniature’ because of the mountains at the north end.  All year round the lovely combination of sea, mountains and sky attracts visitors to our Ayrshire coast.  But the view is not always this good. They are disappointed if adverse weather conditions conceal the island completely.

Seen from the ferry port of Ardrossan, the mountains are nearer and therefore even more impressive.  The story goes that back in the late 1870s a visiting preacher was given overnight accommodation there by the local minister.  He was assured that there would be a wonderful view of Arran from his bedroom window.  But when he arrived on the sunny Saturday, a warm sea-mist completely obscured the view; then on Sunday heavy rain resulted in the island disappearing behind grey clouds.

However, despite his disappointment, the preacher knew that Arran, though invisible, did exist!  Seeing here an analogy with the question of belief/non-belief in the existence of God, he was inspired to write the hymn which begins:                

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,                                                                                          In light inaccessible hid from our eyes.

The whole hymn expresses awe at the grandeur of God and His creation.  But I feel that it is a pity that the writer used the word ‘inaccessible’ – implying that God is far away and unapproachable.  Experience over many years has taught me otherwise, as you will perhaps understand from the following account, written over thirty years ago.

Timely Help

‘Let us therefore boldly approach the throne of our gracious God, where we may receive mercy, and in his grace find timely help.    (Hebrews 4, v 16)

The situation was desperate.  Bob, my beloved husband, had been told that the cancer in his bladder had now spread to his lymph glands and spine.  After five years of courageous refusal to be defeated by pain and discomfort, he was finally forced to admit that he could no longer continue to teach.  Now he was at home alone during the day while I was at my fulltime teaching job.  Fortunately, our home was only a five-minute drive from my school, so at lunchtime I was able to rush back to keep him company for half an hour.

Although, of course, I was glad to do this, the physical and emotional strain was so great that I prayed desperately every day for the strength to keep calm and cheerful for Bob and for our son and two daughters.  I felt that my system was running on prayer power alone!

Looking back at my diary from that challenging period, I am reminded of a remarkable occasion when, by God’s grace, I did indeed ‘find timely help.’

One lunchtime, as I dashed into the staffroom for my jacket, I was surprised to see   the peripatetic cello teacher, who was busy replacing a broken string on a pupil’s cello.  The previous string had probably snapped while it was being tightened to the correct pitch.  As an amateur cellist, I am familiar with this problem, so I stopped to exchange a few words with John before rushing off to my car.

When I arrived home, I discovered, to my further surprise, that Bob had had a visitor that morning. Our friend Marilyn, just back from Austria, had called with a present for him   Remembering Bob’s illness, she had kindly bought him a little bottle of liqueur, made in Salzburg.  I gasped in amazement when I saw that it was in the shape of a cello with a broken string!  The label was ‘Saiten-Sprung’, which means ‘burst string’.

This astonishing coincidence amazed and delighted me, lifting my spirit and reassuring me that an unseen source of ‘timely help’ was indeed at hand! ‘

Recently I discovered a modern hymn, written by one of my contemporaries, Christopher Martin Idle, which expresses the joy when, as it were, an unexpected shaft of sunshine lights up a dark unhappy place.                      

Here is the first verse:

Lord, you sometimes speak in wonders,                                                                   unmistakable and clear,                                                                                                            mighty signs that show your presence,                                                                          overcoming doubt and fear.