Deuteronomy 31:6
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
This morning, my mother shared with me the blog post of a fellow writer. Her topic centered on Psalm 46:10, which begins… “Be still and know that I am God.” The writer referenced the recent events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut… how the reaction and outrage had ranged from a call for total gun control to one of “let’s arm everybody!” In other words, many people panicked.
This is nothing new… in ways great and small, we panic about a lot of things. We “jump the gun,” or “borrow trouble” or race to “do damage control”… when what we really need to do is “Be still.” If only we would recognize that God has gone ahead of us… that He will neither fail us nor abandon us…we might fare better.
I am as guilty as the next person of operating in panic more often than I care to admit. I race ahead, thinking I have to handle things… often wringing my hands in worry and fear. Where is my strength? What happened to my courage? Did I forget WHO is leading the way? Have YOU forgotten?
Some of my friends have recently lost loved ones… others are sitting vigil at the deathbed of a dear family member or friend. Still others are worried about everything from finances to health scares to how they will ever resolve a myriad of conflicts. In their own way, each of these people are in a panic. How will they cope with their grief? How will they make ends meet and/or get ahead? Will they ever get along with So-and-so?
Look… life will happen. There will be challenges and moments that make us panic. And if we let him, the devil will have a field day making us crazy with all sorts of emotions and fears that serve absolutely no purpose other than to convolute and confuse us. We all need to stop and simply “BE STILL!” We need to recognize God’s presence… His strength and power… and find our courage in Him.
Where does this leave you today? Have you allowed God to personally go ahead of you? Are you strong and courageous? A lot can happen if we will simply “be still.” Aren’t you ready to find out firsthand?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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