Over these past few days, I have had to remind myself of several truths to cling to. It is never easy for me in the midst of a storm to remember the calming truths that God has given to us. No matter how much God has done for me in the past, I easily forget His faithfulness.
A few months ago, while my wife Rachel was going through her health issues, there was another family member going through severe health issues as well. During that dark time of uncertainty, I would read and remember a few verses of God’s power and strength. They became such a battle cry for me. As I read those words and promises, God overwhelmed me with His peace. It wasn’t easy to go through but God used these passages to teach me… and to remind me that He was indeed near me.
As the storm calmed down and health returned, I wrote down those verses that had reverberated through my mind those few weeks and months. I didn’t want to forget them. I didn’t want to forget their power, the comfort and help that God provided to me through those words.
As time moved on, my mind moved away from those important verses. My mind began thinking of things that were unimportant. As life moved on, those important truths seemed like they moved further away. My mind began forgetting those powerful words, those powerful truths that I had clung to just a short while ago. The verses that I could recite, the truths that comforted my aching, pleading heart had been pushed out of the way by worthless things of this world.
During this time, God still taught me. He still reminded me of different things about Him. He still used His amazing Word to teach and inspire me. But as time went by, satan clouded my mind and I easily forget God’s blessings and answers to prayers.
I think there are times in our life where we hold to certain verses or cling to a part of a sermon that really touched us, but it amazes me how quickly I can forget those things. Over these past few weeks as I still struggle with family health issues and possible implications, I have been reminded of how impactful those truths were and how I need to cling to them in this dire moment. Over the past few weeks, Ephesians 3:20 has just gone through my mind over and over and I can’t even tell you how many times I have prayed it. It also seems to keep appearing in my life through listening to the radio. The verse reads, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”.
I very much want to cling to this truth and many more, but why oh why do I let worry and anxiety creep in and take my eyes off of the goodness of God. I struggle and struggle and struggle, yet God meets me where I am and is guiding me back. During the initial health scares, I wrote down all these verses and saved it on my computer at work. Finally, the other day I looked for them… and found them. As I read, I was reminded of God’s provision. I was holding on to each truth. I started to pray each one. One by one I read and was strengthened.
I am thankful that I have that document to look back on, but oh how I need to remember them in my heart. To not just say them, to not just have them in my memory, but to cling to the One they point to. The One that strengthens, comforts and sustains. The devil will attack and deter me, but God will lead me. And thankfully He will always lead me back to Him.
A few months ago, there was an “inspiring word” from a pastor on a radio station that dealt with the issue of trust. It compared us to trusting our GPS. When we go somewhere, we blindly trust our GPS to take us to where we need to go. When it tells us to turn we turn and if we miss that turn it recalculates and tells us what to do next. Often times we like to argue and wrestle with God about where He is leading us. We try to go our own route. Even though we have no idea where we are going or what is next, we try to decide when we turn. Unfortunately, we get off track more times then not. I need to do better at trusting His leading, His turns, His directions instead of arguing with Him. I must trust His leading and pray Oh Lord for your help to trust even if it leads me right into the storm.