I have recently been on holiday to Canada, New York and Liverpool.....12 days of non stop tours of some major cities were eyeopening! Not because of the grand, ancestral buildings that hid in these cities. Not because of the tall, skyliners that looked over these cities and not because of the amazed, intrigued crowds that filled these cities. But, as boring as it sounds, it was the process- the journey to these places. For some reason, just before the holiday, I had been consumed with a plague that has wiped out many, even whole nations-fear! I was afraid to die, afraid to fly, afraid to go out at night and didn't take long for me to think 'Lord, am i coming out here to die?!' I sounded like the Israelites sojourneying through Egypt. I sounded like Joram king of Israel, who was convinced that God had called him and the other two kings together to be killed by the Moabites. But I needed to be persuaded by the Word of God. God had Himself told me that He had not brought me there to die and reminded me of promises- that I have a future... Just like the Israelites i guess- He had not brought them there to die but to go through and reach a land filled wih milk and honey- freedom.
He intended for me to go THROUGH and reach a place of freedom- not living in fear or serving my fear but living with love, power and a sound mind, serving Him.
I am petrified of flying and had flown twice already in the same month, once by myself and the love of God had kept me :) but for some reason i was so terrified on this flight to New York, my heart began to beat a rhythm for fear to dance to as dread filled my very being. I had consulted fear, instead of consulting God. But though I make my bed in Sheol, He is still with me! God was teaching me about trust.
At 36000 feet it is a long way down! My trust is completely in the pilot (in God, but you know what i mean). The pilot would make some manoevres and I would think 'Is this guy for real?! Does he need me to show him how its done?!' I kept telling my friend that some of these pilots had only just got their licenses ☺. Then I started to think thats how we are with God. We are higher above 36000 feet because ofcourse we are seated in heavenly plAces, but even so we live on earth and go through trials. Our hope, our trust is in God, but there are times when we do think, 'God where are you taking us? What are these manouvres?!' My friend reminded me that although I felt as if these pilots passed yesterday, God had passed His teat time ago. In fact, was His Spirit not hovering over the seas many years ago?! He invented flying!! He knows what Hes doing- I can trust Him!
The flight back home seemed to be a test of what I had learnt. I felt like the pilot had passed his test years ago, but the journey was very trying. Violently, turbulence shook the plane from side to side. Panic began to fill me, but then I thought to myself, God's got this! Jesus said that there would be trials in this world, but we would overcome them. Turbulence is not a thing where the plane can just reverse and try again tomorrow. It's got to go through it (like going on a Bear Hunt). So we go, trusting God that He will bring us through. Not battered and torn. Not beat up and bruised. But we are hard pressed but not crushed! Struck down but not destroyed! Not confessing our fears but confessing that Christ is in us, the hope of glory! Paul says 'with that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.' As we trust and believe in God we see things differently- not death, but life.
2 Corinthians 4:18 - what do you see and believe? Because that will have an impact on what you speak.
No comments:
Post a Comment