“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;”
Psalm 46:1-2 (RSV)
Have you ever started a day feeling like there are so many problems to solve, that you feel weighed down?
Sometimes it feels like the whole earth is changing as this scripture says. We are living in times of ever changing laws and rules, which often makes it difficult for us to keep up.
I had a few problem issues that needed to be solved regarding Medicaid and my son’s Nursing Home. At times, these issues woke me in the middle of the night, and I found myself overthinking things, but I have learned that though the laws keeps changing, God never changes, and He is still an ever present help in our times of trouble.
I planned to tackle these problems yesterday, so in practicing what I always write, I asked the Holy Spirit to go with me and send all the right people to help solve these problems. The first problem issue to solve was with Medicaid. Jon has been on Medicaid and living in a Nursing facility for two years. I have always been his legal guardian, but when I recently called Medicaid to ask a question, they said that I wasn’t listed as a guardian on his account and they could not speak to me.
Since they wouldn’t speak to me, I searched for the nearest Medicaid office and went there at 8:30 am when the doors opened, in order to hand them all my legal documents of guardianship. The clerk at the front desk told me to just place the documents in a special mailbox in center of the room, and it would be taken care of. I was in and out of the office in ten minutes, so my day was already starting to brighten up.
The next problem to tackle was the Nursing Facility business office, due to months of poor communication with them. Jon started receiving SS disability payments in July, and I emailed the NH business director in August to let her know that he is now receiving payments, asking what portion of those monthly payments were owed to the Nursing facility.
I also emailed a copy of his bank statement to her, so that she had all the account numbers to arrange for whatever payment was required. In September she said she would send me an invoice but nothing was ever sent.
Medicaid recipients living in a NH are required to give the bulk of their disability payments to the Nursing home, in order for Medicaid to continue providing benefits. There is a legal limit for a Medicaid recipient’s personal bank account, so if Jon’s bank balance exceeded a certain amount, he could lose his Medicaid coverage, which pays for his Nursing home.
Several weeks went by, and I left voicemails and emails but never received an invoice from the business manager or an answer from the head administrator. Meanwhile, Jon’s bank account was accruing payments each month, increasing his balance, plus the lump sum of back pay that was deposited from SS. As his bank account grew, I didn’t know what the legal limit was, but I worried that he was going to lose eligibility for Medicaid coverage. So now a new concern was starting to interrupt my sleep.
Since no one ever heard of a NH that doesn’t want to take our money, or answer emails or voice mails, the second task of my day was to go to the business office in person and get these finances settled. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to be with me in meeting with the business manager.
I needed God’s grace and patience so that my frustration wouldn’t take over my words. (I’m glad Jon is on a wait list for a new home.)
When I arrived at the facility, the business manager was in a meeting that would last another half hour, but her associate, who I never met before, came out instead. She took me into her office and was ten times more helpful than anyone I had previously dealt with, and seemed much smarter too.
God blessed me with the right person at the right time to solve the problem. She looked at all the bank statements and contacted their bookkeeper who figures out what portion is owed for the three months of disability payments and now it’s all set up to be paid monthly. I also learned that the government just raised the allowed limit of bank account funds for Medicaid recipients, so Jon is not in jeopardy of losing his Medicaid benefits. I must have breathed the deepest breath in months, after hearing that.
Sometimes we are so overwhelmed with problems to solve, rules that keep changing and frustrating people to deal with, but if we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to come and help us with the problem, He prepares the right person to help, opens the right doors, and brings His wisdom into every situation, along with God’s perfect timing, to solve our problems.
We do live in an ever changing world, but with the Holy Spirit navigating through it for us, we will discover the biggest blessings, like that associate business manager, who was smarter than anyone and there to help me at the perfect time. If we keep inviting the Holy Spirit into every problem, He smoothes out all the rough places and we will receive the answers, because our God is an ever present help in times of trouble.
Lord, thank you for always being our steadfast refuge and help in an ever changing and confusing world. We ask you, Holy Spirit, to come and navigate our daily paths, and fill us with peace and joy through every obstacle. Amen
