A Rock-Steady Savior

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I look into those terrified eyes and whisper words of comfort.  That daughter of mine so like her mother.  I feel like a hypocrite because who am I to talk to anyone about fear?  Me – a woman prone to so many fears and insecurities. I have lived with my fears for so long and carried them with me through the years.  I have worn them like a heavy coat in the middle of July.  And they have, slowly and surely, smothered me. And doesn’t that just please the ruler of this world immensely – to see God’s children chained by fear?

We live in a world that provides so many opportunities for fear.  We fear illness and failure and loneliness.  We fear being invisible and insignificant and unworthy. We fear that we will always be who we have always been. We know that the ruler of this world is a liar and, yet, we fear he may be right when he whispers in our ears.  What if we are everything he says we are?

Fear can be suffocating.  It sits heavy on the chest and makes it hard to breathe. It makes the ground beneath us shaky and unsure; we become frozen in place.  Suddenly, nothing feels secure or safe.

It is then, in our most fear-filled moments, that He speaks to us.  When fear rocks our world, He is rock-steady.

When the earth and all its inhabitants shake,
I am the One who steadies its pillars. – Psalm 75:3

If we are not careful, fear will become our focus. We will forget that we have a strong and brave Savior. Christ laid Himself down in between us and death itself so that there would be nothing worthy of our fear. We will not be shaken because He is unshakable.  We are worthy and precious and loved because He says we are.  It matters not that this world would have us believe otherwise.

When we are walking through a scary trial…Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God (Isaiah 41:10.)

When we feel ourselves being ruled by our fears…For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment (2 Timothy 1:7.)

Time and time again, God looks into our terrified eyes and whispers words of comfort.

Fear not, He says…Fear not.

No Child Left Behind

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Pain can be very isolating. Shame gets all tangled up in the suffering and, before you know it, you’re hiding from the world.

Maybe that is why Peter, in the midst of his letter on suffering, says this:

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. – 1 Peter 3:12 ESV

baby shoesI know that I have been on a soapbox recently about honesty and community. It’s just something God has placed heavily on my heart – this desire that you would know that you’re not alone.  No matter how alone you feel, you have the eyes and ears of God. He hears your whispered prayers in the dark of night and he sees your tears in the shower. 

You are not alone. You are not forgotten. You are a child of the Almighty and he will not leave any of his children to fend for themselves. No matter how hot the fire or how deep the valley – he will not leave any behind.

“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.” – Isaiah 35:4 ESV

He will come and he will save you. He will be with you in the wilderness and, then, he will lead you out with joy and dancing. If you feel lost, left behind or forgotten, God has some amazing promises for you to hold onto, today.

But you, Israel, are my servant.
    You’re Jacob, my first choice,
    descendants of my good friend Abraham.
I pulled you in from all over the world,
    called you in from every dark corner of the earth,
Telling you, ‘You’re my servant, serving on my side.
    I’ve picked you. I haven’t dropped you.’
Don’t panic. I’m with you.
    There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.
    I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.  - Isaiah 41:8-10 (The Message)

Someone out there needs to know that God has not dropped you. You haven’t slipped through his fingers. He has a holy grip on you and he is not letting go.

 

A Faith That Limps

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There is a flow to the life of a Christ-follower.

Suffering –> Trusting –> Doing Good

Rinse. Repeat.

Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. – 1 Peter 4:19

hallelujah anywayIt isn’t easy. Sometimes, we get stuck in the suffering. Our stubborn hearts just plop themselves down and refuse to budge. I’m pretty sure that is what Satan is counting on – that we would become overwhelmed by the suffering and just hang out there for a while. He is fine with our suffering. He is totally opposed, however, to our trusting and our doing of good.

If you look closely, Peter is not listing these activities as things done consecutively. You don’t suffer and then, when the suffering is complete, begin to trust. You do not trust and then, when God has proven to be faithful, begin to do good. These are concurrent activities – all happening at the same time. Suffering, trusting, doing – they all intermingle and overlap. 

We, like Jacob, wrestle with God. We hurt, cry and wonder if we will make it through. We hold on with all that we have – desperate for Him to show Himself. We refuse to let go and we beg for a blessing in the midst of the pain. Then, the sun rises and His mercies are new. We walk on in faith, but we walk with a limp.

We make it through, but not unscathed. We are battle scarred, worn and weary. We are wounded, but not weakened. Our faith is stronger and our eyes see clearer. Suddenly, we notice the wounded around us. Our hearts recognize the gait of one who has wrestled with God.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Are you afflicted? Perplexed? Persecuted? Struck down?

Just don’t let go. Hold on tight and wait for the blessing. This thing will not destroy you. Wrestle it out and then, when the sun rises, walk on. Trust your faithful Creator to work it out for your good and for His glory. Satan may get a few licks in now and then, but the joke is on him because there’s nothing stronger than a faith that limps.

On Pain and Praise

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About Midnight… - Acts 16:25 ESV

It was dark and cold.   They were beaten, shackled and hungry.

We are told that many blows had been inflicted upon them.

It had been a long day and it was now about Midnight.

About Midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God… - Acts 16:25 ESV

I wish I could say that, when things seem to be dark and hopeless, I pray and sing praises to God.  Often, that is not the case. I still remember being so angry when my second pregnancy ended abruptly. I woke up with a second babe on the way and went to sleep that night empty. There was no longer a baby in my belly and I struggled to praise in the midst of my pain.

This is exactly what Paul was meaning, however, when he said to give thanks in all circumstances.  He could say that because he had done that.  He praised in the midst of pain.

Often, we read these passages as mere stories.  We picture someone like Paul as superhuman.  Paul and Silas are imprisoned. We get that.  Yet, we picture them lounging in a prison cell singing songs. Gosh, maybe they are even laughing and joking with the guards.  If that is how we imagine them, we have missed the magnitude of their praise.

Paul and Silas were stripped naked.

They were then beaten with rods.

The crowds joined in on the attack.

They were thrown bloodied and beaten in a cold, dark cell.

Then, about Midnight, there was singing – but it was mingled with some groans of pain.

About Midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. - Acts 16:25 ESV

We are not exempt from witnessing to people because we are in pain.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  If you have professed faith in Christ. If you have talked at all about the goodness and greatness of your God. If you have ever quoted Romans 8:28 to some poor suffering soul. You better believe that, when trials come your way, people are watching to see how you respond.

Think how you have instructed many,
    how you have strengthened feeble hands.
Your words have supported those who stumbled;
    you have strengthened faltering knees.
But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;
    it strikes you, and you are dismayed. (Job 4:3-5)

Are the “truths” you have spoken to others in their pain still true in the midst of your own pain? Please don’t hear me say that you have to put on your happy face and pretend all is well.  Do hear me say that there needs to be some praying and praising in the midst of the pain.

Because people, other hurting people, are listening.

*Repost from the archives

Community, Not Perfection

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Yesterday was not a good day. It started and ended with a crying baby. Somewhere in the middle I yelled at my three old to “fix her face” because she was pouting in public. Apparently, it is acceptable for mamas to grow horns and hiss angrily in public but not for little ones to have pouty faces. And, just to add to the irony of it all, I’ve been teaching my eldest my quick, slow, slow mantra. Grace – I am so desperate for it, y’all.

For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. – Romans 7:19

IMG_0089Anyone else?

There is a lot of talk these days about niches and messages. I got an email the other day advertising a book that could help me become whoever I wanted to be online. Isn’t that the problem? A bunch of people trying to create online personas – what good is that?

How can a woman attend a church or social event with a hundred other women and feel completely alone? Why would a person with 2,000 followers on Twitter send me an email saying that she has no one to talk to about her pain? No one. Oh, they will thank her for sharing their blog posts. They will “favorite” her funny tweet. At the end of the day, however, when she’s lonely and crying in the shower – where are they?

Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up. – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

We, in the body of Christ, are to encourage one another and build each other up. That is our job as sisters in Christ. But we have it all confused. We think we can’t ask for help. People might stop reading our stuff if they find out what a mess we are, right? Wrong. People crave honesty and transparency.

Maybe you think you don’t have anything to offer. Wrong, again. With Christ, you have everything to offer them. That is the encouragement that Paul was referring to in 1 Thessalonians. We are children of the day, of the light – we are His. And so we have hope and we have love and we have faith. That is what we are to encourage each other with. That is how we build each other up.

IMG_0192I may not be in your shoes, but I know what it means to lack a little faith. So, I can encourage you in that. You may not fully understand the depths of my pain, but I bet you know what it means to lose hope. So, you can build me up. All of us know what it feels like to have loved and lost. We all have the ability and the means to love each other well.

The thing is, however, that encouragement happens in community. Paul did not say for everyone to give themselves a big hug. He didn’t say to put on your happy face or, as I like to say, your big girl pants and get on with it. He said to encourage each other. I, for one, totally believe that can happen online. Now, it doesn’t replace face to face friendships. Fellowship with a local body of believers is so very important. However, I believe God uses this space for His glory. True relationships and bonds are formed among sisters walking similar paths. 

This is a safe place where we can admit to serving peanut butter sandwiches for supper and have someone say back, “tomorrow is another day.” We can share our broken hearts and be reminded of the hope in Him. We can tell of our loneliness and have a sweet sister miles away remind us that we are loved.

There are no perfect people – no matter how good they look online. But, there is a perfect Savior. Because of Him, we have some encouragement to offer. So, let’s do it. We need community, not perfection.

 
http://christianmommyblogger.com – I’m linking this post up at Christian Mommy Blogger! See more at: http://christianmommyblogger.com/fellowship-fridays-41/#sthash.VXUDkCcH.dpuf