A phone call from our youngest son during the middle of the afternoon was my first clue that something in his life was amiss. His words “Mom, are you doing anything important?” was my second clue.

A pit formed in my stomach as questions swirled in my brain. Why was our son calling? Shouldn’t he be on the way home for his best friend’s wedding?

I ignored the lengthy to-do list glaring at me from the kitchen counter in order to give him a cheerful answer. “I’m not doing much. What’s up?”

“My truck is being towed,” he said with a sigh. “The mechanic says it will take days to procure the broken part.”

I pictured our son stranded with his black Labrador puppy on the side of the road four hours from home, halfway between one township and the next. I announced without hesitation, “I am on my way.”

He repeated his original question. “Mom, are you doing anything important?”

I squinted my eyes at the to-do list, just daring it to grumble. “You’re my son, and there’s nothing on my to-do list more important than you.”

I grabbed my purse and keys and headed out the front door, grateful that he would ask for help when he needed it. Three hours later, I pulled into the parking lot of a garage in an unfamiliar town sixty miles east of Atlanta. Our solemn looking son was sitting on a rusty bench, his devoted pup sleeping at his feet. Relief swept over his face the minute he saw me pull into the lot. 

When we are stranded, drifting in a sea of uncertainty and navigating unforeseen challenges, God is there. In the same way our son blessed me by depending on me, we bless and honor our heavenly Father when we trust him to help us in times of trouble.

The Psalmist writes, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber,” (Psalm 121:1-3). 

As grandparents, we are called to pass down our faith to our children and grandchildren. One place to start is by modeling our dependence on God for all our needs.

Our grandchildren are like sponges, absorbing the lessons we teach not only in our words but through our actions. When we face trials and temptations of any kind, how do we respond? 

• Do we wring our hands in angst, or do we turn to the Lord in prayer? 
• Do we remember that we are not enslaved to fear but “have received the Spirit of adoption as sons (and daughters) by whom we cry “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15). 
• Do we “confidently draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16)? 
• Do we show our grandchildren that God is our provision and provision, especially when life leaves us feeling stranded?

We need not feel stranded by any circumstance. Our Lord is ready to hear our prayers and give an answer.