For a few weeks, I have been experiencing anxiety and hopelessness. I have been facing one of the biggest trials in all my life. So, instead of running to Ben & Jerry, I have been spending a lot of time in my war room (home office). I usually start by listening to my worship playlist on YouTube. On one particular day my panic was off the charts. As I felt it rising within me, I kept trying to remember that God is with me and is blessed by the trust I put in Him to walk with me through this trial.
I know how I want things to go but I also know that I must
submit to God’s will for my life. He knows what is best for me. So how do I
submit to His will when all I want to do is panic? To run around and start
making moves to rescue myself, making phone calls, etc. and thereby leaving God
out of the situation.
As I began writing in my journal, I began with prayer. I
love writing to God, it helps me stay focused because I am so ADHD. I can tell
you since starting to write this…I have held the cat, watched 2 videos, made
toast, then another video about a sick hedgehog. OK, back to my story…as I was
trying to focus on my journaling, suddenly, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to
my heart. He put a scene from an Indiana Jones movie in my brain, and I knew I
had to share it because it brought me so much comfort as I continue to deal
with this trial.
If you are able, hop
over to “YouTube” and watch this short scene . Just put in the search box “Indiana
Jones and his walk of faith”. To me, it conveyed what I was feeling at that
time. The fear you see in Indy is a match to my fear.
In the scene, Indy is running through an ancient Egyptian cave
to help his father who has been captured by bad people. Indy can hear his
father calling out to him for help. As Indy runs through the cave, he is faced
with obvious traps meant to kill him. Fortunately, he has found an old Egyptian
book that contains riddles, puzzles, etc. that will show the reader how to solve
each obstacle. The problem is that the book is written in hieroglyphics, so he must
decipher the clues to get through this massive cave. At this point in the
story, Indy has come to a very deep and wide cavern. He sees no way to get to
the other side. It’s too wide to jump across and there doesn’t seem to be a
rope or bridge. So, he refers to the book of Egyptian hieroglyphic clues.
Amazingly, it shows a man at the edge of the very cavern that Indy is standing
at. As he deciphers the clue, it shows an Egyptian man taking a big,
exaggerated step out and over the cavern. It looks like a trust walk x1000. So,
to rescue his father, he must step out in faith, just as the ancient Egyptian
is doing in the book. Indy, filled with terror, fear and anxiety, but he needs
to act, one way or another. As his father continues to call out to him for help,
Indy does exactly what the Egyptian does and takes the big, exaggerated step
out over the cavern. To Indy’s surprise and relief, it worked! The makers of the
cave designed a bridge that could not be seen because it had been painted to blend
into the rocks. Now Indy can get across
and of course he saves his father.
As I watched this
clip, I could see the terror in Indy’s face. Now I haven’t faced death like what
Indy was facing, but I have faced a huge problem that I could not see how I was
going to resolve it.
As I watched the scene unfold, I felt so much peace that I
had to stop and write about it and share. I want to share my story because I don’t
think I am the only one who is dealing with daily issues that are frightening
to us. For example, as I contemplate the act of buying eggs, a little hamburger
and maybe some butter, it seems that, first, I need to take out a loan. Though
I am kidding, in a way, I am not.
So why would this movie clip give me so much peace? Because
just as Indy referred to his playbook to get through the cave, it is the same
with our Bibles. I/You must open God’s Word to get the knowledge and comfort
that God wants us to have. Did you know that the phrase “Do not fear…” is
mentioned 365 times throughout the Bible. Think about it…that gives you a daily
reminder for the whole year. Hmmm, was that a coincidence? I don’t think
so.
In these days, when it comes down to it, we all fear
something every day. Whether it’s finances, health issues, family problems, the
holidays, your job, your marriage, your kids, addiction, physical/emotional
trauma and the list could go on and on. But here’s the beauty, God promises
that when the storms come (not if but when), He wants to walk
with us and to protect us. Recently, my sister sent me a “meme” that said God
does not always remove the storm but walks with us through the storm. So, don’t
be afraid, just run into His arms and He will provide protection for you.
Bottomline, God will never fail you. He will never abandon
you. From what I see in the Scriptures,
all you need to do is ask Him for help. My dear friends, keep me in your
prayers as I face my storm, and I would love to pray for you and any storms
that you are in or ones that are coming down the road. DM me and I will add you to my prayer journal
and of course it stays private. Here are
2 verses that I have in my memory verse pack:
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you
and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right
hand.
“be
satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will
never abandon you.”
So
just as Indy had to keep referring to the little playbook, make plans to study
your playbook (the Bible) because your Heavenly Father is calling out to you.
Thankfully, God’s Word is not written in a hieroglyphic format, or in clues, or
in a secret language or in a puzzle format. What God says in His Book,
is what it says and means. Now to you I say, go forth and live in the peace
that God is offering you. God’s Word says:
Don’t
worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need
and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which
exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds
as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians
4:6-7 (NLT)
Please
leave your email address in the comments if you would like to receive my future
devotionals and freebee stuff. Today, I am including 4 memory verse cards to help
you store them in your heart. I can’t stress the importance of hiding God’s
Word in your heart so that when a fear threatens to overtake you, you will have the Holy Spirit
reminding you with the truth. So don’t be afraid and don’t be
discouraged because God wants to ALWAYS be by your side and to help you when
life get tough.
God
bless you and Merry Christmas, LaDonna
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