Freedom from Fear

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you”
 (Psalm 56:3).

Fall is here, and along with fall we see signs of Halloween.  In American culture Halloween  is commonly associated with being scared, but regardless of what season it is or where, fear is something most people struggle with at some point.

Fear seems to be a hot topic lately.  This world is a scary place.  Natural disasters, government problems, financial instability, terrorism, and other issues are all contributing to world chaos, to say nothing of the increasingly anti-Christian world views.

Those of us with health problems are no strangers to fear.  Unexplained pain, worsening symptoms, side effects of medications,  loss of abilities, and fear of future illnesses can all cause us to panic.

In David Jeremiahs’ new book, What Are You Afraid Of?, he mentions Biblical ways to handle our fears, including committing our fears to God and memorizing Scriptures relevant to them.  We can be honest in confessing our fears to the Lord.  He understands our humanness.  But we also need to remember that fear is a lack of faith and confess that as sin.  Although the Bible may not include the specific names of our illnesses, there are many verses which can apply to our struggles.  Dr. Jeremiah says, “The command to not fear occurs nearly 60 times in Scripture, and some form of the word fear is mentioned more than 425 times”.  God understands fear.

In Edward Welch’s book, Running Scared Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest, he mentions  God’s future grace - a huge comfort to me.  Future grace means that when the time comes, whatever we are called to endure, God will give us the grace we need.  How He will do that and what it will look like we don’t know, but we will receive what we need.  We do not need to fear. 

This world is a scary place.  Our pains and problems can be frightening.  But we can be free from fear.  God is in control of it all.  His grace is more than sufficient, and His Word confirms it.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, You are in control of this world and my life.  Please help me trust You for my future and speak Your words of truth into each one of my fears.  Amen.

 

Perceiving Perseverance as Positive

“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

My initial response to the word perseverance is usually not a positive one.  Yes, I know it’s an important character quality and we are called to persevere as Christians, but part of me wants to groan and sigh when I hear the word.

 

One definition of perseverance surprised me because it had a positive connotation.  It was defined as cheerful or hopeful endurance.  I can’t say that many of my experiences with perseverance have been cheerful, but then I thought about the mindset I have had during those times – I wasn’t seeing it as something positive.

 

James connects perseverance with maturity, completion, blessing, and rewards. What Christian doesn’t want to reach those goals?  God is continually using everything in this life – pleasant as well as painful – to conform us to His image, so that we can attain those goals and be prepared for eternity with Him.

 

Perseverance is also defined in conjunction with endurance to win in the end.  We certainly want to win the crown of life that God has for us in heaven.  Hope and faith are positive concepts associated with perseverance as well, both of which we possess as believers in Christ.  And the more faith and hope we have, the stronger they become.

 

Viewing perseverance as something positive would help me handle my trials differently.  Instead of dreading them and feeling that I can’t or don’t even want to endure, I can rejoice that I am growing in maturity, knowing that each new trial brings me closer to perfection and eternity.

 

Life is hard.  Pain and problems are hard.  But God’s perspective of my trials is quite different from mine, and in His kingdom perseverance is positive and brings blessings. Viewing perseverance as positive may not ease my pain, but it can encourage me to keep going.  I want to win, and the sooner I mature the better.

 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, please change my view of perseverance so that I see my trials as positive opportunities to grow and mature.  I praise You that no matter how weak I feel, I know that Your Spirit within me will give me the power to endure and win.  Amen.

The Best GPS for Navigating the Roads of Pain and Illness

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless”
(Psalm 18:30).

I recently took a trip with my mother and we used our GPS.  We also took a map, but neither my mother nor I read it.

We totally relied on the GPS, which was fine until we were in a large city and lost all satellite reception. Without the GPS we were lost.  Thankfully the Lord guided us to helpful people and we made it to our destinations safely, but I learned an important lesson.  A GPS is great but I need to have a map as well – and read it!

Chronic health problems are a hard road to travel and it is easy to get lost.  A new pain or problem, the unknowns of future health, decisions about treatments, or making commitments can all leave me wandering around trying to find my way.

During those times I want answers from God, preferably through a voice or sign.  Sometimes He does that through advice from doctors, family, or friends, information from the internet, book, or magazine, or a prompting from the Holy Spirit - all of which are wonderful aids in guiding me when I’m lost.

But my one constant referral source should be the “map” of Scripture.  The Bible may not mention my problems by name, but if I examine the root of my concerns, they are all issues that God addresses in His word.  I need freedom from fear and anxiety.  I need wisdom to make right choices.  I need strength to fight against despair or hopelessness.  None of those are roads down which I want to travel.  They all lead to lostness.  The map of Scripture will keep me on the right road if I follow God’s routes.

A GPS is a huge help but nothing replaces a good map.  Likewise, we can appreciate and make use of the various tools God brings into our lives to help us navigate the roads of suffering, but His Word is the best positioning system.  Praise God that Word is always accurate and available, and the only way we will lose reception is if we choose not to read it. 

Prayer:  O Lord, Your Word is the best source of direction for traveling the difficult roads of this life.  Help me be faithful to read and follow it at all times.  Amen.

Maintaining Our Confidence in God Despite Our Suffering

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded”
(Hebrews 10:35).

People put their confidence in many things, all of which will disappoint them at some point.  God is the only one in whom we can have complete faith and trust.  As believers in Christ we put our confidence in Him, but how easy it is to forget that truth when we are continually faced with pain and suffering.  We may temporarily lose our faith and trust, doubting His ability to bring us through these trials.

In Hebrews 10, the author reminded his readers of their early days in the faith when they withstood their suffering with confidence (verse 23).  The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says, “They had experienced some form of persecution and had come through it triumphantly.  This should teach them that in Christ they had blessings of a kind they could never have had if they had given way to persecution.  There should be no going back on that kind of endurance now”. 

As the years have passed and my health problems have become more debilitating, I have been (and still am) tempted to lose my confidence in God.  How quickly I “throw away” the history of His faithfulness and forget how He has used these sufferings to grow me in my faith.

Reminding myself of the specific ways God has shown Himself faithful encourages me to hold on to that confidence. Verbally declaring my faith and trust in Him is a strong defense against the attacks of Satan. Reading testimonies of other believers who have endured great persecution also motivates me to hold fast to this confidence.

Our pain and sufferings are difficult and at times seem unbearable.  But we can pray for eyes to see the blessings we are receiving through our trials and persevere in our endurance as countless other believers have done and are doing, “holding unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, You have continually proven Yourself worthy of my complete faith and trust.  Let me triumphantly hold on to my endurance and confidence in You, knowing You will not fail, and my reward will be worth the suffering.  Amen.

Surviving the “Staging Area” of Chronic Health Problems

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Corinthians 2:9).

Each fall my husband takes some camping/hiking trips.  A few years ago as he was gathering all of his equipment in one room, he called it his staging area.  I had never heard that term before and teased him about it.  Now when we plan to go somewhere, we joke about our staging area.

I recently looked up the definition of a staging area.  It is “a place to gather in preparation on the way to a destination, or a temporary location to stay while awaiting transition to a new field of operations”.  Two words impressed me – preparation and temporary – and I realized that my chronic pain and health problems are a staging area for my eternal life.

Every aspect of this earthly life is preparing me for eternity.  Pain and suffering deepen my personal walk with and faith in God like nothing else can, causing me to rely on Him alone and reminding me that this life is not all there is.

Staging areas can be messy.  Our family room loses its neat appearance during these preparation times and that can’t be helped.  So it is with my earthly body and life.  I want my life to be neat and organized, but pain and illness are messy.  Life doesn’t go as planned, but this is only temporary.  I am on the way to a “new field of operations” – my heavenly home.  Right now God is preparing me for what lies ahead.  There are things He wants to teach me and aspects of Himself that He wants to reveal to me in this staging area of pain.

In many ways I’m ready to move on to my new location, but I pray that I can view this staging area as a valuable tool God is using to prepare me for this glorious new destination, and willingly live with mess until then.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, give me the perseverance and faith to accept this staging area of pain and suffering that You are using for my good, even as I keep my eyes fixed on my eternal destination with You, and all that awaits me there.  Amen.

 

 

Holding Fast to God through the Pulls and Tugs of Life

“But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now”
(Joshua 23:8).

Sometimes it seems my life is a tug of war.

When I am with healthy people, I sometimes feel that I can’t relate to their lives anymore.  I may be bombarded with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.  Conversely, on my better days I sometimes feel guilty because so many people I know are still suffering.

Illness aside, life in our society is a constant pull between now and later.  We no sooner enter one season when the next one is promoted.  Fall and Christmas decorations appear in July.  Where did summer go? I am never able to fully enjoy the “now”, but am always being reminded of “the next thing”, and that it should be bigger and better than the present.

Perhaps the greatest tug of all is trying to live out this earthly life in a godly way while staying focused on eternity at the same time.  How do I manage these pulls and tugs?

I must begin each day yielding myself to God’s plan. I need not feel either inferior or guilty, but simply trust that God’s way for me is best.  I am to show His love to all those with whom I connect - healthy or sick - remembering that His plan for each person’s life is tailored specifically to them for His purposes.

While I can certainly enjoy anticipating and planning for the future, I must guard against discontent with the present and purposely stay focused on what God has for me right now - both the blessings and the trials.

Above all, as I rejoice in and long for heaven and a pain-free perfect life with God, as I remember that whatever in life is lacking now will be more than compensated for in eternity, I also need to see the glimpses of heaven on earth and know that God’s strength, mercy and grace makes each day not only bearable but purposeful.

God can and will keep me stable through life’s pulls and tugs, as long as I keep a firm grasp on Him and His truths.

Prayer:  O Lord, as I am pulled and tugged by the realities of both heaven and earth around and within me, give me the wisdom and strength to hold fast to You, this day and every day.  Amen.

 

What a Trumpet, a Clay Pot, and a Light Taught Me about Fighting Pain and Problems

“Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he (Gideon) placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside”
(Judges 7:16).

When I think of Biblical warfare strategies, I usually think of the spiritual armor of Ephesians 6, but this passage gave me some more insights.

Gideon and his men were outnumbered by their enemies, but they followed God’s directions.  They blew their trumpets and shouted.  Their clay jars broke and their torches shone as they fought their way to a triumphant victory.

I see some great lessons for me here as I battle with pain and problems.  My trumpet is my voice of praise.  We are called to praise God regardless of our circumstances.  When we do, our spirits are encouraged and we are able to view things differently.  And for those times when nothing changes, we have the assurance of knowing we are being obedient to God and will be rewarded in eternity – which will be well worth the wait.

Scripture compares our physical bodies to jars of clay.  We are molded and made by God, but this earthly body is temporary.  Gideon’s jars were shattered in battle.  Each battle we fight with pain or problems causes another crack in our jars until we feel we can no longer hold together.  But what happened when Gideon’s jars were shattered?  The light was revealed.

When we allow God to break us through the pain and trials of life, then the light of His Spirit and Presence is able to shine through.  As we die to self and hopefully glorify Him in the process, His light guides us through our battles and on to victory.

Our pain and problems may seem overwhelming.  We may feel more outnumbered than Gideon and his men did.  But God’s battle strategies are better than ours.  So let’s praise Him while walking in faith and allow ourselves to be broken so that His power and light may be revealed in us. With God, we have the victory.

Prayer:  Lord God, so many times I feel outnumbered by my pain and problems.  May I not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not ours but Yours (II Chronicles 20:15).  Amen.