The Whispers of God

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8, ESV)

I opened an envelope yesterday. Its contents caused my heart to beat a fearful rhythm and my mind to pound with confusion and anguish. Frustration and anger rose with each word, but as I set the letter down it seemed to drain my every drop of strength. I thought about sleeping…so tired…so very tired. My frustration turned to hopelessness while my anger changed to fear. Fear. I’ve never thought of myself as a fearful person. But if I am trusting in myself to see me through—what else could I expect but fear.

This morning I woke to these two Scriptures—the one above and the one below. The Lord is comforting and encouraging me to have His strength and His courage. I don’t want to just be absent of fear, or anger, or frustration or whatever…I want to be full of courage and strength.

“But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.” (Psalm 3:3-6, NKJV)

Today—I still have that horrible letter I’ve got to deal with…and it may not go away too easily, but—I’m actually excited to see how God will use it for His glory…and I am clinging to Him and His strength…and His shield, too. I’m so thankful for the Scriptures— because tomorrow I will most likely need to be reminded all over again—He is our Strength….He is our Courage….and He is our Shield and the One who lifts our head.

Lord, Help me to trust in You in all things…be my Shield, my Strength, and my Courage…and my Joy, too.

My life has been one move after another…or so it feels. Recently we moved back to the area I grew up in. One morning when my father came over to repair some of my appliances he looked up at me while sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor and asked, “So…have you moved back for good?”

The question took my words away…for several reasons. First I saw a love for me in my father’s eyes which, of course, melted me, but then there was the irritated part of me—a large part of me—which has become tired and weary of moving around. But my father’s next words woke me from my downward spiraling thoughts.

“Well,” he said, seeing I was unable to respond, “I guess you just go wherever you are told.”

Again, I began to feel sorry for myself, but the Lord broke into my thoughts…wait…yes, I do want to be a believer that “just goes wherever I am told!” Or at least I’m trying to…the difficulty I’ve found is to be cheerful in the leading of God’s hand and rejoicing for His guidance.

And yes, by the way, I have moved for “good”! It cannot be permanent because although we are eternal beings…we are only here temporarily. Also, not every thing or every move in our lives are going to make us feel good or be what we think of as “better.” But our lives are His and the good we can expect is of an intrinsic good—a good that moves us closer to Jesus and able to live a life which brings Him glory.

Lord, help me to live by faith…keeping my thoughts on You all the time. By the way, Lord, help me to feel the love of the Father so I will trust and live fully in this faith.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes … For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written,“The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16, 17/KKJV)

Sometimes I find life is like the Space Mountain ride in Disneyland. And if you’ve never had the pleasure of that particular ride, it’s a high speed roller coaster—in the dark. It quickly separates the fearless from the fearful. And as the ride gets going it gets easier and easier to see who’s who.

While standing in line for this ride the people look pretty much the same. That is, unless the prospective traveler has been down this road before and is being dragged down it once more by her fearless friends. But, for the most part, people arrive with an anxious excited prospect about the future and the thrills it will hold for them. But Space Mountain changes people. Well, maybe it doesn’t change them as much as it brings out what is there already—on the inside.

From what I remember of this ride it begins slowly with an incline and then you enter what seems like a vast room of complete darkness. Come take the ride with me. Sit in the cart next to me—it may prove to be a revealing moment in your life.

While the cart continues to clatter, clank and clunk upward the people around us are chattering in anticipation. But once we are in total blackness there is an abrupt silence as the cart begins to gain speed. Faster and faster our lives race down their tracks. There’s a quick jerk to the right and then we’re thrown to the left. Once more we head straight but the force of acceleration slams us back in our seats. Then just as we recover we plunge downward several stories and…at this point it’s revealed. It just comes out of you. You either scream in delight or terror.

Which one are you?—And if you’re in the cart with me—you know which one I am.

One person is holding the bar in front of them screaming in terror while seeking in a fruitless effort to open their eyes wide enough to see the next flip, turn and nose dive. However, the other traveler who is screaming in delight is laughing with joy while throwing their hands high in the air to get the fullest experience of the ride, welcoming every surprise the journey has to offer.

I was confronted with a “ride” this morning. One that looked dark and frightening…did I throw my hands in the air and shout, “Woo-hoo—bring it on!”? …No. I stressed up and sought to find something to grasp. And I realized my lack of faith, my fear…my need to see the future to believe…my lack of trusting God with my everything—my life.

Funny thing, that ride. I know exactly which rider I relate to. My knuckles turn white just thinking about it. The last thing I want to do on a roller coaster is to throw my hands in the air. But then I can hear the Spirit speaking to my heart.

Will you hold on to the things of this world—thinking they can keep you safe? Will you try to see the future—will you ever be able to open your eyes wide enough to see it? And if you knew your future would you be able to protect yourself from the twists and turns?…Or will you let go, and surrender all. You can enjoy the ride. Regardless of what happens. If you trust in the Lord of your life—remember even He surrendered and it was to His joy.

“… let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed” (Hebrews 12:1b-2a and 12-13/NKJV).

I don’t know my future, or yours—but I do know the ending of all—it’s tells us in the Bible.

And so now, in my heart I’m praying for the faith to throw my hands up now in both surrender and in worship to say, “Bring it on! I am yours Lord. Take me, use me to bring glory to your holy name. Help me to pray as You did in the Garden before You hung on the cross, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours” Luke 22:42/NKJV.

I’m thankful for those fearless friends that travel along with me and encourage me as I look dreadfully at the next ride in life I am to endure. But I’d like to move out of enduring to enjoying and I know I can only do that as I surrender–throw my hands up–and live fully for Him–my truest fearless Friend.