Leap of Faith

Tag: hope

  • LEAVING ANXIETY BEHIND: Finding peace in the midst of trial

    Photo by Johannes Plenio

    Things in our lives have been relatively quiet for a while. I am allowing myself to embrace the idea that we might be through this season of trial. Not just through, but actually learning to experience the peace that passes all understanding. The path there was not as pretty or as fast as I would have liked it to be.

    The worst part of a season like the one we have come through is the compounding effect of taking hit after hit without time to recover. It reduces your resilience to ashes and it’s fertile ground for anxiety to grow. In fact, somewhere in the middle of this season I developed an anxiety disorder.

    I’m a thinker by nature, so it’s very difficult for me when emotions get in the driver’s seat. A full-blown anxiety disorder let me know that emotions were not only in the driver’s seat, they had taken control of the whole car. They were messing with the signals, knocking the mirrors out of position, and stripping the gears at every opportunity.

    Anxiety fixates you on the things that make you anxious, intensifying everything hundredfold. More times than I would care to admit, anxiety made me afraid to leave our house. It’s extremely hard to be out in public when your emotions and nerves feel like a frayed live wire bouncing around a puddle of water.

    Photo by Mikhail Nilov

    When I did go out, things didn’t always go well. Once at Costco, I burst into tears at the checkout counter. I was utterly and completely mortified. Having to explain to the very concerned checker that I was crying because I have an anxiety disorder and I had reached my limit for being out in public, was almost worse than the anxiety itself. I thought I was seriously broken, like unfixable broken. It terrified me.

    There are a lot of things that are helping to get me through the anxiety of this season. God’s presence in my life; the grace, mercy, and love that He pours abundantly into us, has been my foundation. I have the blessing of my family and the love we share, a good counselor, supportive friends, and a good church. In addition, there are three things that helped me recover that I want to share.

    1) I’m not broken beyond repair. I am wounded and grieving. I have good reason to be grieving. I need to stop fighting it. I need to let grief do the work that God gave us the gift of grief to do. I need to let God heal me.

    The thought that I was broken beyond repair, immobilized me. I have come to realize that, however intense and seemingly out of control the emotions I am experiencing are, they aren’t an indication that I am broken. They are an indication that there are things I need to address. They are legitimate and normal. Realizing this was a massive relief. Understanding that God was using these emotions to heal me was liberating.

    Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi

    2) I must utilize the resources God has given me. Instead of fixating on anxiety, I can fix my eyes on Him. Jesus is always available to help us for however long the storm rages.  Short storm, long storm, it does not matter. He is always in the boat with me. I just need to recognize this and ask for His help. (Matt 8:23-27)

    The single most powerful weapon against anxiety is the Word of God. Instead of fearing the storm, I get to practice taking Him at His word. I get to stand on His promises. He is faithful to keep His promises. He will not let me down and He will not let me drown.

    3) I can turn everyone and everything over to Him.

    It’s incredibly hard to move forward when you are carrying the weight of everything you should have surrendered to God. I don’t have to figure it all out or try to bring it all under control. I can give it to the God who can speak to the storm and calm the waves (Mark 4:35-41). I can cast my cares, concerns, and anxiety on Him. (1 Peter 5:7) I can surrender everything that is creating anxiety in my life to the one who offers to relieve my burden.

    Photo by Tara Winstead

     “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” Matt 11:29-30.

    Anxiety began to leave when I started practicing casting my cares on Him and obeying the command in Phil 4:6-7 to bring everything to Him in prayer. Anxiety is being replaced by the peace that comes from God. A peace, not like the flimsy peace the world gives, that disintegrates at the first round of attacks. But real peace that rebuffs the attacks, peace that passes all understanding, the peace that Jesus promised us in John 14:26-27.

    There are still days where anxiety jumps in the driver’s seat, but they are getting less and less. I am getting better at letting Him take the driver’s seat since I discovered there’s not enough room in the car for anxiety and God. I am beginning to feel tendrils of hope sprouting in my soul again. It’s nice.

    I am coming to understand that the way to survive and even recover from an anxiety disorder is to turn everything over to Him, and learn from Him. I am learning to let Him teach me whatever lessons seasons like this have to teach me, and to keep my eyes fixed on Him. I am learning to receive the peace He gives. I am learning how to leave anxiety behind and embrace life even in the midst of the worst trials.

    Photo by David Alberto Carmona Coto

  • KNOW YOUR TRAVELING COMPANION: Redefining Hope

    My first post of 2022 was “Hope for the New Year: Part One.” Part two never came. In fact, it took over a year for me to write again. Last year truly felt like being in a tiny boat in the middle of a raging sea trying to survive one giant wave after another as my skiff filled with water. I felt like all my bailing was just forestalling the inevitable moment when my boat slipped permanently beneath the waves, taking all hope with it. Worse yet, slipping beneath the waves didn’t seem like such a bad idea?!

    After ministering to the crowds, Jesus and the disciples got in their boat and set sail. Storms on the sea of Galilee can come out of nowhere and violently change the calm waters into a roiling tumult. The disciples found themselves in one of these dread-full storms. Many disciples were fishermen by trade and veterans of the sea. Storms were something they faced year in and year out. This must have been a killer storm because they completely melted down. They become so panicked that they woke Jesus up and accused Him of not caring that they were about to die!

    Jesus’ response was “Why are you afraid you men of little faith?” Jesus rebuked the storm and a “perfect peacefulness” came over the sea. The disciple’s response? “What kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matt 8:23-27)

    Why did Jesus call the disciples ‘men of little faith’? Was it because they were afraid? Or was it because they didn’t rebuke the wind and the waves themselves? I dont think so. I think the real reason was because they didn’t turn to or trust Jesus for help in the first place. I can almost hear Jesus saying ‘Guys I was right here in the boat with you. When things got rough, all you had to do was wake me up and ask for help. Instead, you panicked and accused me of not caring. Do you know me at all?’ Whatever Jesus may have been thinking in that moment, it’s pretty clear that the disciples didn’t really know their traveling companion.

    As I have looked over the events of last year, it has occurred to me that the storms weren’t my real problem. Like the disciples, my REAL problem was I didn’t fully know or trust the One with whom I travel. Would I need to be in a state of hypervigilance and panic if I recognized that Jesus is ALWAYS in my boat with me? If I truly understood the magnitude of His power to calm the storm and preserve my life would anxiety have drug me to the depths? If I rested secure in His love for me would the possibility of slipping beneath the waves even be an option? What would my seas look like if I recognized and truly trusted that all I have to do is ask Jesus to speak to the storm?

    Just before He went to the cross, Jesus promised the disciples that though He was going away He would send a comforter, a companion, who would remain with and in us forever (John 14:16-17). On another occasion Jesus promises that He and the Father will make Their dwelling place in us (John 14:23).  God is ALWAYS with us. Regardless of the storms raging around and over us, we need to know Who we are traveling with. We need to trust His presence and ask Him to release His power into our situation.

    Photo by

    Being people of faith doesn’t mean we don’t experience fear in the storms. It sure doesn’t mean we take them on ourselves (see “Redefining Strength: Building on Solid Ground). Being people of faith means getting to KNOW the One we are traveling with on an intimate basis. It means spending time in His presence, drinking in every word that He speaks. It means listening in the depths of our souls for that still small voice. It means recognizing Jesus is ALWAYS in the boat with us. He is ALWAYS willing and able to address the circumstances we are facing. Being people of faith means ASKING FOR HIS HELP and TRUSTING Him to act on our behalf. Knowing our traveling companion is the true foundation of unwavering, unbreakable hope.

  • REDEFINING STRENGTH: Building on Solid Ground

    If you had told me that it would be this long since my last post, I would not have believed you for a millisecond. For me, writing is essential. It’s not just a creative outlet, it’s a deeply important aspect of faith. It enables me to give voice to God’s presence in my life. It allows me to converse with Him and pour my heart out. The fact that I stopped writing for so long speaks to just how devastating last year was. For most of it, all I could was put my head down and try to walk through whatever happened next.

    I wasn’t up to the task. Last year utterly broke me. It shattered me in ways I didn’t think possible! I felt like I was drowning and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Honestly, there were days that drowning was FAR easier than struggling to stay afloat. In January of this year, I was diagnosed with PTSD.

    I am a strong person. I have always counted my strength as an asset. Faith in Christ and my strength in the face of adversity formed the foundation on which I based my life and my hope. Last year made it abundantly clear that, as a foundation for life and hope, MY strength is little more than a self-aggrandizing delusion. Eventually everyone reaches the end of their capacity to withstand the pummeling and they hit the canvas.

    Face down on the canvas, praying that someone would throw in the towel, I was forced to reevaluate everything I thought to be true about myself and the way I operate in faith. The conclusion I came to is that anchoring any part of my life or hope in my own strength is one of the worst forms of hubris imaginable. It’s ludicrous!

    There’s nothing wrong with a positive self-image. It’s just not a good foundation upon which to build your house. Aside from being fragile, our self-image is constantly in flux as we change and grow. That may be fine for the walls in our building, but if our foundation is in constant flux, our walls will never stand. 

    Piece by peice, God is putting my life and soul back together. Part of this process has been spending time studying 2 Corinthians 11 and 12.

    Chapter 11 catalogs the adversity Paul endured in service to Christ.  It’s a morbidly impressive list. Paul got the crap kicked out of him and yet his response was “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that reveal my weakness” (2 Cor 12:5). WOW! Talk about turning my perspective upside down.

    In chapter 12, God makes it clear that human weakness is the channel through which His strength flows.  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is being made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). By boasting in his weakness, Paul allowed the power of Christ to completely enfold him and dwell in him. I like the idea of the power of Christ enfolding and dwelling in me. After all, my strategy up to this point has been a complete failure, so why not! I’ve got nothing to lose.

    Paul’s attitude turns the cultural value of self-sufficiency, and if I am honest, my attitude, completely on its head. Being pleased with my weakness is like living in a foreign country. However, as I have pondered the last year, I have concluded that having my life turned upside down, has given me the correct perspective from which to understand the heart of these chapters.

    I have come to believe that humility and an honest evaluation and acknowledgement of my weakness opens the pathway for God’s strength to manifest perfectly in my life. Operating from human strength is NOT an asset. It is a devastating deterrent! It blocks God from manifesting His power on my behalf. Acknowledging my weakness is the ONLY path to His strength and the ONLY way through adversity to victory.

    Now that I understand that my choice is between my little raindrop of strength and His ocean of power, I will gladly drown in His power every time! If I have to die to self to be present with God, bring on the grave y’all! So, while I never want to go through a season like this EVER again, I am learning to sing the Lords song in a foreign land. I am learning to be;

    “well pleased with weakness, with insults, with distresses, with persecution and with difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak in human strength, then I am strong; truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength” (2 Cor. 12:10 AMP).  

    I now KNOW, in the depths of my soul, that a foundation based on anything except God’s strength is a false hope that leads to only to death, hell and destruction. If the price of a truly solid foundation is weakness, then let me be as weak as a new born babe!

  • HOPE for the NEW YEAR: Part 1

    For me, 2022 hit like a sucker punch to the gut. By Jan 3rd, my husband, daughter and I all had COVID.  Three weeks later I found myself sitting beside my daughter’s hospital bed praying that she would recover from a COVID induced delirium. Few things are as terrifying a seeing your child incoherent and delusional, lying a hospital bed.  

    This is NOT how I would have chosen to start 2022. Like it or not, this is how it started. Now I have two choices. I can decide that 2022 will be a crappy year and lose myself to fear and depression. OR I can place my hope in the Lord and believe His promises.

    I know the plans that I have for you says the Lord. Plans for good, not to harm you, plans for hope and a future of HOPE (Jer 29:11) All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28) 

    These are my go-to verses when the poop hits the fan. They have carried me through some of the darkest, most heartbreaking seasons of life. They anchor me to a steadfast hope. God has demonstrated over and over again that in EVERY circumstance, He can be fully trusted to work on our behalf!

    Yet, as I watched my precious daughter slip into delirium, my hold on this anchor of hope became as tenuous and fragile as the tether my daughter had on reality. Both began to unravel. I watched her mental faculties deteriorate and I felt utterly helpless and hopeless.  When I left my terrified, delusional daughter at the hospital alone, my heart broke. In utter desperation, I cried out to God. Then I came across Daniel 10:19

    “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!”  

    The angel of the Lord spoke these words to Daniel after he saw a vision of a mighty warrior coming against Israel. This vision caused overwhelming fear and anxiety in Daniel. “Yet no strength was left in me, for my normal appearance turned to a deathly pale, and I grew faint and weak with fright” (Dan 10:8). I could TOTALLY relate! I was overwhelmed, anxious, and filled with fear.

    I clung desperately to Daniel 10:19. As I repeated it over and over, it reminded me WHY God has good plans for us and why He causes EVERYTHING to work for our good.  It is because we are precious to Him! His love is limitless and extravagant. He defines, embodies, and expresses love perfectly. Amazingly, inexplicably, undeservedly, WE are the objects of His extravagant love! Because we are precious to Him, He has good plans for our future. He is so serious about these plans that He will cause all things to work for their fulfillment. 

    Our lives matter to God! What comfort and HOPE this brings! No matter what happens in this coming year, we can anchor ourselves in this hope! God is ALWAYS faithful! There is no shadow of turning in Him. His word does not fail or come back empty but accomplishes that for which He sent it (Is 55:11). He has GOOD plans for our future, and He will ensure that those plans are fulfilled. Grasp that HOPE with all your might and NEVER let go! Find peace! Be encouraged! Renew your strength! We are precious to Him, therefore we have hope in this new year!

  • KNOW HIM KNOW HOPE: a 2020-2021 Survival Guide

    “I trust the next chapter because I know the Author.” 

    This simple declaration struck a chord deep within me. 2020 was awful and 2021 seems to be shaping up to be 2020-part duex. Worse yet, the face-to-face, soul-to-soul connections in our lives that give us reasons to celebrate and provide support and comfort when tragedy hits, continue to be curtailed if not eliminated altogether.

    The reality of our current situation doesn’t mean we have to surrender to hopelessness. That is why that phrase resonates so deeply.  It reflects a truth and a promise reiterated over and over in God’s word. Knowing Him means knowing hope.  No matter what has, is or will happen, we can “trust the next chapter” if we know and trust the character and heart of the one writing our story.

    Our Church is reading through the Bible together. Most of the individual stories are old familiar friends. However, there is something very powerful about reading them as a whole.  Instead of separate stories that reflect individual events, these events become chapters in ONE ongoing story. Reading them this way has given me a MUCH deeper understanding and appreciation for the character of God. 

    Take the story of David and Bathsheba. David saw her bathing, lusted after her, brought her to his palace and impregnated her. He tried to cover his sin by bringing her husband Uriah home from war to sleep with her.  Uriah didn’t comply. With the coverup thwarted, David had Uriah killed. Not David’s finest moment! Then the child conceived in this act of adultery died.

    If we stopped there, we may be tempted to believe that God is easily angered, vengeful and wants to punish us for our sin and stupidity. But that isn’t the end of the story. After Uriah’s death and the death of his son, David is hit full force with his sinfulness. To his credit, he doesn’t try to excuse or justify his failure. Instead, he goes to God and pens one of the most heartfelt and sorrowful acknowledgements of sin and plea for forgiveness found in scripture. 

    “For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against You only have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when you speak Your sentence and faultless in Your judgement. Create in me a clean heart O God and renew an upright and steadfast spirit within me.  Cast me not from your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me” (PS 51:2-3, 10-11).

    David marries Bathsheba. She gives birth to a second son, Solomon.  Solomon was not David’s only or first born son. Yet it is the child of this mess of a relationship that God chooses to place on the throne of all Israel! Why? Because that is the Grace and steadfast loving kindness of our God! 

    David’s marriage to Bathsheba came about as the result of adultery and murder. Yet this was the relationship through which God would produce not only the next and wisest King of Israel, but the great, great, great…grandfather of Jesus Christ! It is through a relationship that started out in unimaginable sin that God eventually brought our Savior into the world!

    God loves, cherishes and wants the best for His children.  He doesn’t overlook our sin. He allows the consequences of our sin to be the teacher that prevents us from destroying our lives, by steering us away from sinning. When we repent, he faithfully forgives and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. He creates a clean heart in us and imparts His Spirit to us. He makes us a new creation in Christ.  God takes the horror and damage that sin wrought in our lives and creates beauty from the ashes. 

    This is a picture of a God who loves us compassionately, steadfastly, loyally and unconditionally. He is a God who doesn’t give up on us no matter how hard we screw up! Our God causes our worst moments to be the catalyst for our greatest triumphs. This is His AMAZING Grace! This is the character of our God!

    If God is willing to bring such glory out of such sin, why wouldn’t He protect, provide for and prosper us physically, emotionally and spiritually in the midst of circumstances not of our own making? In this time when we are left wondering what the next chapter will be, we CAN trust the loving kindness and Grace of the Author. Knowing Him truly means Knowing HOPE!

    Suggested reading: 2 Samuel 11, 12; 1 Kings 2:1-15; Psalm 51

  • FINDING HOPE IN ADVERSITY

    Photo By Engin Akyurt

    By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. How can we sing the lords song in a foreign land? Psalm 137:1, 4. 

    COVID has created a lot of disruption and aversity in our lives. We are in a season of dissatisfaction and distraction and there is no real end in sight. If you are like me you are tired. Tired of COVID. Tired of face masks. Tired of restrictions. Tired of conflict. Tired of politics. Tired of social distancing. Just plain tired of it all. On top of being tired, I am grieving the loss of all the things COVID protocol has taken from us. COVID isn’t going away and we can’t get away from it. In a very real way, we are captive to it.

    I doubt any of us were prepared for just how unrelenting this season would actually be. Most of us have sought distractions to take our minds off it. Healthy distraction can be a good thing. It provides some relief from adversity, especially adversity over which we have no control. Too much distraction or unhealthy distraction however, can negatively effect motivation and mood. Distraction may provide temporary relief, but it is like candy. It only satisfies while we’re consuming it and too much of it … not good!

    In 605 B.C. Babylon conquered the Nation of Judah. This began a 70 year long season of adversity for the people of God. Jerusalem and the temple were sacked and destroyed. The Israelites were killed or carted off to captivity in Babylon. They lost their homes, possessions, loved ones and their freedom. It was devastating. (This gave me a bit of perspective on the season we are going though. It may be long but at least its not 70 years!)

    Psalm 137 was written during the Babylonian captivity. It is the poignant outcry of people trying to deal with adversity in captivity.  God’s people cried out “how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” In essence they were asking, how do we find satisfaction in long term adversity? How do we find joy and meaning in prolonged captivity? How do we find fulfillment when we have little to no control over our situation or our lives? They were asking the same questions we are asking today.

    I found my answer to this question in the lives of Daniel and his friends; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

    In the beginning of their captivity, they had virtually no control over their lives. Every aspect, from their education, to jobs, to how and who they would worship, was dictated by their captors.  Even things as basic as what they ate, were decided for them. Yet, to a man, they determined that they would not defile themselves even if it cost them their lives.   

    Instead of just going along to get along or being ground down by the realities of their captivity, they choose to cast their lot with God. They chose to trust in, lean on and be obedient to God in all things, regardless of their situation. They sought His guidance and listened to His voice.  They followed His plan and relied on His protection. In their 70 years of captivity God protected, prospered and raised them to positions of power and influence.  By seeking God and allowing Him to reign in their lives, they were able to thrive in the adversity of foreign captivity. Their faithfulness even laid the foundation for the eventual return to Jerusalem. 

    In this season, we have the SAME OPPORTUNITY. When we follow their example, prolonged adversity gives us a unique opportunity. We get to trust in , lean on and be obedient to God in ways that would not be possible under any other circumstances.  It gives us the opportunity to see God work powerfully on our behalf. When we choose to throw our lot in with God, prolonged adversity becomes an opportunity to grow! To grow closer to God. To grow stronger and more resilient. To gain experience and wisdom.  To grow more Christlike.

    As we continue through this long season of adversity, let’s follow the example of Daniel and his fellow captives. Let’s trust in God’s ability to bring us through whatever comes. No matter how long it lasts, GOD WILL bring us to the other side. Lean on Him for strength and rest and He will enable us to soar like Eagles. Be obedient to Him and to His word and He will bring blessing in the midst of our captivity. 

    Take comfort in the promise of Rom. 5:3-5. “ Exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardship, knowing that hardship produces patient endurance and endurance, proven character and spiritual maturity: and proven character produces hope and confident assurance. Such hope NEVER DISAPOINTS.”

    Let this season of adversity be one in which we allow God to do His transformative work in us. Draw close to Him and take comfort in His steadfast love and care. Then we will know how to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land. Who knows, we too may be laying a foundation of hope and blessing beyond imagining!

    Recommended reading Psalm 137, Dan. Chapt. 1, 3:8-28, 6:18-28

  • THE PROMISE OF A NEW YEAR

    Photo by Rakicevic Nenad

    2 Corinthians 1:20 “For as many as the promises of God are, in Christ they are all answered with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ our “Amen” ascends to God for His glory.”

    The end of 2020 is something we have ALL been looking forward to with great anticipation. With all its chaos, stress and difficulty, 2020 couldn’t end soon enough. Yet with each new challenge, it seemed like 2020 would NEVER end.  Well, 2021 is FINALLY here! The promise of a new year is always exciting.  The possibilities a new year holds, makes the change in the calendar cause for celebration and hope. Coming out of the year we have had; the possibility of hope seems that much more exciting and vital.

    Yet despite the change in the calendar, little else has actually changed.  We are still dealing with COVID and all its myriad of physical, social and financial issues. Though last year’s tragedies have highlighted racial issues, we have yet to send the demon of racism back to the pit of hell from whence it came. We are still dealing with added stress in work, finances, marriage, family life and relationships in general and yet…

     We cannot afford to abandon the promise of a new year! 

    Each new year holds promise because time itself is a gift from God.  He gives us each year, and every year he gives us, is a year filled with the potential of what He can and WILL do in our lives. The hope of that potential is something we need to embrace ESPECIALLY after the year we have had.

    One of the ways we can embrace this potential is to remind ourselves of the promises God has made to us. So, what are some of God’s promises to us?

    • God promises His presence. He promises that whatever we face, He will be with us. He will never under any circumstances desert us or leave us defenseless. As we walk through this coming year, we can be assured that He will be beside us guiding and protecting, comforting and consoling us. No matter what, He WILL bring us though.

    Psalm 23:4

    Heb. 13:5-6

    Psalm 55: 22:

    Isaiah 41:10-13

    Isaiah 43: 1,2

    Psalm 46:1-3

    Psalm 18:2

    Psalm 55:22

    Psalm 9:9

    • God promises to bring GOOD out of every situation we face, even the worst. Whatever crap life throws at us, God will use it to grow a garden of beauty and repose in our lives. He desires to give us a life of abundance, regardless of the situations around us.

    Rom 8:28

    Jer. 29:11

    John 10:10

    2 Thes. 2:16-17

    Deut 30:9, 19-20

    1 Kings 8:56

    Psalm 23:2-3, 5

    • God promises to care for us. He will provide for us always. He promises to ease our burden and bring us a peace that transcends circumstance.

    1 Peter 5:6,7

    Matt 6:25,26

    Phil 4:6

    Matt 11:28-30

    John 14:27

    Isaiah 57:19

    Psalm 85:8

    Phil 4:7

    Psalm 128:

    • God KEEPS His promises

    Num 23:19

    2 Peter 3:9

    2 Cor. 1:20

    This coming year is overflowing with potential because God gave it to us and He is with us!  If God is for us, who or what can stand against us? NOTHING!! So, embrace the promise of the new year. It’s real! We have His word on it!

  • CHANGING PERSPECTIVE: a 2020 Survival Guide

    For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future Jer 29:11 NIV

    In March it seemed that 2020 had come prepared to do battle. Now in December it seems that it wasn’t a battle that 2020 had in mind. In addition to a Global pandemic and the financial and social adversity that it caused, we’ve had wild fires in Australia, the Western United States and Canada, locust swarms in Africa, earthquakes in Turkey and Puerto Rico, a super typhoon in the South Pacific, massive flooding in Vietnam, Cambodia and the Sudan, and a massive explosion in Beirut. Not to mention the individual challenges each of us has faced this year. In the US, the murder of George Floyd lit the fuse of social outrage and racial conflict. Throw in a less than typical presidential election and it seems clear that 2020 is in FULL ON SIEGE MODE!  

    I will take even the most intense battle over a siege ANY DAY! The unrelenting stress of an enemy continually at the gate is like being caught in a grinding stone. Each turn of the stone wears us down a little more, until all that remains is the helpless, hopeless dust of our former selves. A siege cuts us off from each other and our resources. A prolonged siege can actually steal our capacity to embrace hope, because we lose the ability to see any way out.   

    During Israel’s war with Aram, Elisha repeatedly thwarted Aram’s success in battle by prophesying about Aram’s battle plans. This so enraged the king of Aram that he wanted Elisha dead. So, he sent a powerful army by night to lay siege to the city of Dothan where Elisha lived. When Elisha and his servant awoke, they were met with the sight of a large army encircling the city. Elisha ’s servant was in a state of panic bordering on despair. Elisha however, was as cool as a cucumber. 

    Both men were facing the same threat, but they had very different responses. Why? 

    The difference came from their individual perspectives. The servant was focused on the problem. From his perspective they faced a lethal danger with no defense and no way out. He saw no way to successfully stand against this aggressor. As a result, he was overwhelmed and lost hope.

    Elisha’s focus however, wasn’t on the enemy. His hope and trust were centered in God.  Elisha told his servant “Do not be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:17).  Elisha could see what his servant could not. He saw the army of the Almighty, with chariots of fire, absolutely filling the mountains between them and the army of Aram. Elisha’s servant was unable to embrace hope because his focus and trust were in the wrong place. 

    What we focus on and who we trust in makes ALL the difference.   There is no denying that 2020 is beyond challenging. The problems are real. The difficulties keep piling up with no clear end in sight. If we keep our focus on the problems, we could easily fall into hopelessness and despair. What we need most in the midst of this siege, is a change of perspective. How we end this year will affect how our new year begins. AS this year is coming to a close let’s end it looking to the one who holds the future. His plans for us are good! He is giving us a future of hope!

  • DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT: A 2020 survival guide

    I started my 2020 survival guide with the post “Faith, Hope and Love.” It was followed in short order by “Finding Faith”, “Building Faith” and “Walking by Faith”. It was time to start writing about hope. Yet every time I sat down to write, the words were like a classroom of unruly 2-year olds on a massive sugar high. IF I could find the words, I couldn’t get them to sit still long enough to form a coherent sentence.

    The truth is, I was having trouble writing about hope, because I was having trouble finding hope. I had already hit the proverbial wall with the COVID situation. Social distancing and being separated from family and friends had worn thin. Then came the murder of George Floyd. That was more than I could handle. In the wake of all 2020 had dished out I found myself struggling with a onslaught of negative emotions.

    I don’t experience discouragement often. This time however, I just couldn’t shake off the negative emotions that were overwhelming me. I found myself getting ground down by 2020 and all its fallout. I was relating a little too much with Job’s outcry; “Where now is my hope?…Will it go down with me into Sheol? Shall we go down together in the dust?” (Job 17:15.)

    We are facing a LOT of challenges. Apart from the health concerns, there is the financial impact of all this on families, businesses and the country. There is tremendous uncertainty about what life will be like on the other side of COVID. The stresses on marriages and families can be overwhelming. There are arguments about everything from public health and safety versus economic recovery, to the ‘correct’ response to racial injustice. These arguments are being expressed at VOLUME. Conflict is everywhere. People are angry. Some are expressing their anger violently. It’s all disheartening! It steals hope.

    What do we do when hope feels this elusive? 

    No matter how long all this lasts or how tough it gets, our answer is in the LORD and His promises! 

    “So now we must cling tightly to the Hope that LIVES WITHIN US, knowing that God ALWAYS keeps His promises!” (Heb. 10:23) emphasis added 

    PROMISE #1 – He is our hope.

    “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him,” (Lam. 3:25).  He has good plans for us, plans for hope and a future of hope and prosperity (Jer 29;11) 

    When I started asking “Why are you downcast O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?”, the answer was “Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God”(Ps. 42:5).

    We can face the challenges and uncertainties with confidence by trusting God “with all our heart.” When we lean on His understanding rather than our own, we have the assurance of His wisdom. “He will direct and make [our] path[s] straight and plain.” (Prov. 3:5-6) 

    PROMISE #2 – He is our refuge.

    “God is our Refuge and Strength, mighty and impenetrable. A very present and well proved help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1)

    When we begin to feel hopeless in the face of all the stresses and uncertainties of 2020, we need to seek the refuge that can be found in God alone. His compassions are new every morning and his faithfulness is unending! (Lam 3:22-23P)

    PROMISE #3 – He is our comfort.

    “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the GOD OF ALL COMFORT, who comforts us in ALL OUR TROUBLES so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4) emphasis added

    We can find comfort and consolation for the losses and disappointments 2020 has brought in its wake because Jesus is a High priest who KNOWS and UNDERSTANDS our human frailty and needs, from the inside out. Because He has shared in our weaknesses and infirmities, He knows what we are going through. (Heb. 4:15) When we seek comfort in Him, we can learn to be content in all circumstances because in Him, we will know the secret of facing any circumstance, even 2020. (Phil 4:11)

     

     

  • WATER FOR A THIRSTY SOUL: a 2020 Survival Guide

    Photo by Daniel Watson from PexelsPhoto by Daniel Watson

    I love rain. I love the sound, the smell. I love standing in a gentle rain on a warm summer day.

    Listening to the patter of rain on my porch I began to contemplate the nature of water. Water is really amazing stuff.  You can drink it, wash in it, use it to put out fires. It makes plants grow and carves canyons through solid rock. It’s as tiny as a drop of rain and as big as the ocean. It’s a gentle shower or a mighty torrent overwhelming everything in its path.

    Water is crucial to our survival, more critical than food. A human being can go about three weeks without food. We will only last three DAYS without water. Water sustains life. We spend the first part of our lives floating in it as God knits us together in our mother’s womb.

    Water can take life as well. I lived near the beautiful Clear Creek River, a crystal-clear river flowing down from the peaks of the Colorado Rockies. It’s as dangerous as it is beautiful. It runs fast and the current is strong. In addition, the river hides boulders and pockets of strong undertow. Every year someone would disappear on the river only to reappear days later when the river’s under tow released their bodies. As much as I was in awe of the beauty of that river, I had a healthy respect for its power.

    The nature of water is similar to the nature of God. He is water for the thirsty soul. He washes us through the Word until we are as white as snow. He quenches the flaming arrows of the enemy. He causes our faith to grow. He carves through the stony heart of sin to restore the years the locus ate. He is the still small voice and the creator of the universe who flooded the earth and shakes its foundations.

    He sustains our lives. Going more than three days without Him can be deadly. He desires a relationship with us that is as intimate and vital as our relationship to the water in the womb. When we come to know God, we are in awe of His beauty and have a healthy respect for His power.

    This is a season where understanding the nature of God can truly be water for a thirsty soul. As things change on a seemingly daily basis it can feel like being swept away in the current of a strong river. The stresses of working from home and managing children, family and finances in this COVID dominated atmosphere can feel like being sucked into an undertow. The pressure on marriages can increase the frequency and intensity of marital conflict until it feels like you have slammed into a hidden boulder.

    Thankfully we have a God who able to care for our needs no matter the season. If we place our trust and hope in the Lord, we “shall be like a tree planted by waters which spreads out its roots by the river and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green”. We need not be “be anxious in [this] year of drought, nor will  [we] cease from yielding fruit” (Jer. 17:8 NKJV). When we believe in Him “rivers of living water will burst out from within [us], flowing from [our] innermost being just like scripture says!” (John 7:38 TPT)