He is With You...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 12:19PM 
Greetings, Dear Friends!
And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. Each month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. For the months of March AND April I will give away away a gift card and a couple of copies of my new book, "Growing Grateful Kids" so leave a post, share an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a fun treat this month!
A Quick Note:
I am thrilled to announce the release of my next book: Growing Grateful Kids: Teaching Them to Appreciate an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Places." Let me tell you, I am excited about the message in this book. If you have children at home (or grandchildren you want to influence spiritually), order a copy today. I do believe this book will equip you to parent from a spiritual perspective (but it's loaded with lots of practical application). You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be inspired and encouraged (that was my goal, anyway). :)
Now, on to my topic...
A couple of weeks ago I was really battling a chest cold and trying to press through my back to back engagements lined up this spring. My body felt like it had been through the ringer. I had a little TMJ flare up (actually, a BIG flare up), a little vertigo, and to top it off, a nice, obnoxious cough. I was wiped out.
With my spicy hug around my neck, my cup of chai warming my hands, and my head resting back on the couch, I shared an update with one of my mentors over the phone. In response, she made a simple observation but her words brought back a vivid memory from my childhood.
I shared my memory with her: When I was about three years old, my brother and I were playing hide and seek with our other siblings. He was about four and a half at the time. We decided to hide inside a small but heavy cedar chest. Something happened and we were suddenly locked inside and stuck there for a long time. I guess my dad used some kind of crow bar to break us out of there; when he found us, we were red cheeked and listless.
Just recalling the story caused the muscles in my jaw to seize up and my chest to tighten up. My mentor suggested we pray through the memory of this experience and ask God to show me where He was during that time. Long story short, as I prayed and tried to imagine my brother and I in that cedar chest, I saw myself spooned up close to him, holding on, feeling terrified and out of breath. Just as quickly the Lord showed me a picture of Him spooning up behind us both and blowing His breath into our faces so we could breathe.
Now that may sound a little out-of-the-box to some of you, but that beautiful picture filled me with God's peace replaced the anxiety and fear that were so strongly attached to that memory.
This past weekend I talked to my brother about our childhood experience. Oddly enough, we've never talked about this particular memory. I barely got out the words when he finished my sentence.
I said, "Do you remember that time we were stuck..." and he chimed in, "in the cedar chest? Yes. I remember it perfectly. I think about it all of the time."
"What happened?" I asked. I was amazed at what he said:
Grandma was babysitting us. We were playing hide and seek. You and I decided to hide in the cedar chest. Before we pulled the top down on us, I stuck a ruler in between the top and the chest so we could see through the slit. Somehow you and I bumped the ruler and it slipped out. We were stuck inside. Grandma never checked on us. Mom and dad came home and asked where we were. They looked all over upstairs before they figured out we were inside the chest. Dad broke it open with a crow bar. We were in there for about an hour. We were listless when they got us out.
How is it possible that we survived for an hour? Or that we didn't sustain any brain damage?
I hesitated to share this story in such a public forum but I really think there is something for all of us here. And this is the point I am making today: God is always with us. He is intimately engaged with us on this journey. Nothing can separate us from His love. Terrible things are going to happen sometimes. The enemy gets his shots in there every once in a while. But God is always with us. He'll go to the deepest pit or the smallest cedar chest to save us, sustain us, and take care of us. The enemy cannot take us out until God is ready to take us home.
No one can snatch us out of His hand!
It's easy to question God when we experience traumatic events. But instead of getting offended with God and assigning a wrong motive to Him (which consequently blinds us from seeing any of His goodness), may we humbly and trustingly ask, "Jesus, where were you in all of this? I know You are good. I know You are near. Show me where You were. Show me how You intervened in this painful experience. Heal my memory. Remove the lies I've believed and replace them with the truth. I know that You are good and I will trust You with all of my tomorrows. Amen."
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39).
Reader Comments (26)
A few months ago, my preschooler started waking up in the night and having an all around terrible time sleeping. (Which was unusual for him.) After several months of sleep deprivation for both of us, we started praying together about it at lunchtime.
Would you believe he started sleeping again within days?
And now, six months after the fact, he still asks to pray at lunch, and he always adds, "and thanks, God, for sleeping with me so I'm not afraid."
Jesus tells us to come to Him as children...and I do believe He shows up when we do.
blessings --Robyn
I think Christ was hiding with you in that cedar chest, too.
Thanks for sharing.
It is true that bad things happen to us in this world, but God IS there; and even more-so when we learn to be aware of His Presence.
I remember a very painful time in my life in my early 20's. Everything made me sad or mad. Being alone, being with friends...I was always unhappy and restless.
I heard the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit call me away. I would go to a hillside overlooking a beautiful water-scape and just sit. Soon I was talking to God, soon I was singing to Him, soon I was just sitting there like He was right beside me. By the end of summer I couldn't wait to be alone with Him, and my pain was gone...
So, I learned to reach up to take His Hand.
I am so sorry for your pain, and I am waiting for Susie to answer you because I know God will give her part of an answer that will encourage you.
Would you like to be my friend on Facebook? I was blessed to be able to minister to Women who had been beat up and spit out by the evil in this world and would love to share some of the things God taught me in those years.
I really don't want to put my name in here, but if you reply back in this blog I'll give it to you so you can friend me. If you're not on facebook I'll give you my email.
Our family was reading around the table today from Luke 8 when Jesus was in the boat with the disciples and the great squal came up while Jesus was sleeping. You'll remember that the disciples woke Jesus and said, "Master, Master...we are going to drown." Of course, Jesus calms the storm and afterwards he says to the disciples, "Where is your faith?" Our children were naturally sympathetic with the disciples. "But they were scared!" they said. My husband answered, "Yes, but even when we are scared; God is with us. In fact, it was Jesus who brought the storm...." We talked a long time about this concept of God bringing storms into our lives for our good and His glory. It was such a good time of family worship.
I love the fact that God is sovereign over all things because knowing this helps me to remain calm when things seem out of control. It helps me to come to Jesus in faith saying, "I know you have a plan; I'm trusting you to calm my spirit and get me through this..." And you know what, He always does! God is so good and faithful. His ways are not our ways, and we do well to remember it.
Thanks for the blog post, Susie. The Lord bless you and keep you as you continue to seek and serve Him.
I know Susie will have great things to say (she is very wonderful about her blog and tries really hard to reply to all her commenters) but I've been thinking about your question for days.
I don't know if this is tacky or what, but if you click on my name on this comment it will take you to a post I wrote on my blog back in August of 2008, based on Psalm 18. My Bible reading schedule has me go through the Psalms twice in a year and today I read that very same Psalm, and was again reminded of you.
It's about trusting God with who (and where) I am now--and more than that, trusting who He *always* is--and how that has been a key to trusting Him with the unanswered questions of what was.
It's amazing how the more I trust Him with *now*, and see His love and glory, the less and less the questions even matter. It doesn't really "answer" the questions of my past, but just sort of obliterates them. It's hard to explain, but I think that's because it's a thing only God could do.
I believe He did come to my rescue, even though He first allowed me to have experiences that left me with some pretty creepy memories (the kind that can make a girl furious or desperate).
But His rescue was real, and His love is, too.
I don't know if it will help, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it if it's the Holy Spirit who is prompting me.
Better than my post, be sure to read Psalm 18. His rescue is real.
Blessings, Helen
This is such a sweet story. I'm so thankful for God's answer to your prayers and for the way God built faith in your child. Love it the way He does that. Bless you.
That's such a beautiful thought, no? I also love this verse: He (or she) who dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High God, will REST in the Shadow of the Almighty (Ps. 91:1). Love God's Word. Bless you, my friend!
Yours is such a beautiful post. And such a wonderful description of how the Lord leads us beside still waters. :) He calls us to those places of rest, but so few follow Him there. I'm glad that you did. Bless you!
I'm so sorry that you have trauma to work through. I don't think I could have worked through some of my difficult memories without someone to walk me through them. I do pray that God provides you with a mentor or a counselor to walk you through those things. This I do know: God wants you restored. Bless you, my sister.
I am absolutely speechless. I don't even know what to say. You are so very brave and such a beautiful mom to your unborn child. May the Lord Himself move mightily in this situation and surprise you all! He is mighty to save. Bless you, my friend.
I absolutely love how you've been such an encourager to those who post on this blog. Bless you! This is what being a community of Believers is all about! Blessings to you all!
Sounds like you have a fabulous family! Bless you and thanks for sharing!
That wasn't an immature comment at all! I wondered the same thing as I learned more of the details from that story. Thanks for your wonderful, encouraging words. Bless you, my sister!
So true! Scary it was, although I only remember bits and pieces of it since I was only three years old. However, the effects of that experience are still with me. Amazing how things get under your skin. But God was so good to unearth some of what was buried beneath the surface. I love that He cares so much about us that He intentionally brings truth to those hidden places (Psalm 51:6). Bless you!
Simply a beautiful and honest post. Thanks for encouraging Pam and for sharing such thoughtful words from your heart. Really loved your post. Thanks again.
You're my hero! You've adopted ten kids??? That's amazing! God bless you! And I love your maxim: Jesus wins. Satan loses. The end!
Love it. Bless you, my sister!
That's such a sweet illustration of God speaking to you. Thanks for sharing it. It is so hard to wait for the things He has promised us, and yet, if we're willing we are made truly rich in Him while we wait. Blessings to you!