Praying for Autumn

My favorite stories are those that involve characters who survive the greatest of challenges against all odds.  I especially love survival stories based on real life events when actual people have endured natural or political disasters, war, violence, corruption, and all kinds of destruction, obtaining deliverance ultimately through God's grace.  Edge of my seat movies where the hero is a little David archetype facing a Goliath of a challenge are my absolute favorite!  I often imagine myself as that small person, completely defenseless, making a run for it despite the high waters, the stormy winds, the raging fires, a blanket of bullets, a tall mountain or a dark valley...making it through, guided by the Light of the Holy Spirit and protected by the cover of Heaven's Angels.  The thrill of the adventures, experienced all from the safety of my living room at home, of course, leave me with a heart full of hope on the power of good over evil.

Have any of these types of stories come to life for you? Have you experienced these events in real life? Did you ever actually need to escape danger?  Do you know anyone, personally, who has ever been that real life character trapped in a dangerous place/situation from which the alternatives were to make a break for it or perish? Do you know people who have lived through the stuff of movies, and survived to talk about it afterwards?  

Have you or anyone you know encountered those moments when the Word of God that speaks about passing through deep waters and fires goes from being a powerful image to becoming painfully real...the times when finding the hiding place where He will protect us from trouble points to a literal need for God to surround us with His deliverance?

I cannot say I have experienced anything of that magnitude. Have you?

Today, there is someone I know who is living through one of these stories. The dire circumstances of the place where God called her so many years ago, and where her heart resides, have made it impossible for her to stay and the decision to flee was the only alternative to live.  She is a daughter of our church for whom seeking the will of God and obeying His call has taken her to a most forgotten country that is currently in shambles, where chaos, utter disorder and confusion reign. She took a leap of faith and trusted He who brought her there, to deliver her back into safety.  For days, we have prayed for her safety, and will continue to do so without ceasing until she is home again, securely, out of harms way.  We hang on to His promises and claim them for we trust that all His promises are true!

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46: 1

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. Psalm 138: 7

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. Nahum 1: 7

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3: 3

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41: 10

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrew 13: 6

My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me. 2 Samuel 22: 3

May the Divine Shepherd lead this young woman and her companions back to safety...may His army of angels keep watch over them and bring them home soon.  We Praise the Lord that the most dangerous portion of her journey is completed, and we continue praying for a happy ending to this most compelling, real life story.

Psalm 57

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.


I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.
He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—[c]
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.


I am in the midst of lions;
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.


Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.


They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.


My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.


I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.


Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

Reflections on the Book Winning the War on Worry. Lie #4

 "I have to worry.  OF COURSE I have to worry!!! If I don't worry, who will??"

This is my stance every single time that something slightly problematic may seem to be spotted in the distant future.  I worry and panic as if by worrying I could stop it from happening or control how things would turn out.  Reading the book, Winning the War on Worry is teaching me, however, that this attitude is not just a part of my dysfunctional mindset when facing problems.  This posture is actually the result of me believing a lie from the enemy that is designed to distance me from my Heavenly Father.  This position stems from lie #4: I can control the outcome by worrying.

Author Louie Giglio says that this lie from the devil tries to convince us that if we think about the situation long enough, we can control how it turns out.  Therefore, we obsess!  We think, and we concoct, and we mull over, and we visualize, and we machinate, and we ruminate until we believe we have covered all the angles and chewed it all over into a swallowable, sweet compote that goes down easily and to our satisfaction.  In reality, however, nothing is further from the truth.  By God's grace, says Pastor Giglio, the only thing we can control is how we react to things.  That's it!

Remember what Jesus asks us in Luke 12: 25-26

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

All outcomes are up to God's plan.  Worrying, on the other hand, does not accomplish anything other than the devil's plans.  Is that what we want to be doing? Helping the enemy accomplish his evil plans for our lives? Of course not! So why do we worry? We worry because we have fallen into the trap of believing that worry is useful.  And if you are like me, that mindset has been sculpted into your brain on granite!  It's our default mode.  We do it without even thinking about it.  And now, we are left with the hard work of changing our reaction to problems...which is the only thing we can control.  We have to replace worry with something else...but what?  What is strong enough to sledge hammer that granite and pulverize it? 

Pastor Giglio says, the first step is to recognize that WE. ARE. NOT. GOD!

Once we go into the worry mode and we smell the first stench of the obsession bottle opening up (remember that cologne by Calvin Klein in the 80s...sorry, I digress), we need to recognize it and pause...and say: I am not God.  I am not in charge.  I am not in control.  I don't run the show. I am simply a part of God's plan.  Yet, I know He loves me.  So I will pray, trust and obey...and release...

We pause, pray, trust and release.  OVER and OVER and OVER again.  Yes, this is not a one time deal, my friends.  You know it.  We do this once, and then we go back to our default.  So it requires us to be very intentional and to pay a lot of attention to our reactions.  Remember, we have built a granite statue to worry, like the ancient Israelites who built those Asherah Poles and statues of Baal we see in Kings 1 and 2, which they could not, for the life of everything beautiful in the world, get rid of!  No matter how many prophets God sent and how many times He spoke to them...Kings, after Kings, after Kings just could not bring themselves to destroy such idols...that is basically what we go through when trying to destroy the idol of worry that we have safely built in the high places of our inner being.

The labor is arduous and it requires constancy but most of all, it requires prayer and surrender.  Prayer that the Holy Spirit would direct our path towards a life in which worry is not our first instinct.  Prayer that Christ will give us His strength to surrender to God's plan, which, though inscrutable, it is, indeed, perfect!  Prayer that we forgive ourselves when we fall back on our worry routine, and not experience that guilt that separates, but enjoy the mercy that draws us back to the Heart of Jesus that is ALL MERCYFUL!  Prayer that we can continue to try to attempt this over and over an over again.  This is how we can open the door to the peace that Jesus promised, so it can enter into our hearts, souls and minds like a hurricane, or a gushing current, cleaning up all the gunk we've built up over the years, destroying our idol of worry...to finally allow us to breathe...and let go...and be free.  

"Of course I have to worry!"  No I do not.  Nobody has to.  It's in God's hands, whatever "it" is...He already has it worked out.  I am NOT God.  So I'm going to step down and let Him do His thing! In the Precious Name of Jesus.  Amen!