He's got this. Those three words have been my solace this last week and a half. When I start feeling desperate, when I start feeling hopeless, when the knot starts forming in the pit of my belly, I remember those three words: He's got this. Oh, how He does.
For the very first time in my life, I am facing a real trial. I never fully grasped the weight of James' words, "Consider it pure joy..." until I was squeezed. It's not fun. But I do see the joy. It's not here yet, but it's coming. That's hope.
I've learned so many things since this tumultuous trial began. So many more than I would have without the flames. Thank you, God, for that.
I've discovered the immense comfort of the Scriptures. God soaks His Word in comfort. His passages soothe and untangle the knot in my gut. Memorizing, quoting, and reading God's word are as aloe to a burn: instant relief and healing. One of my very favorite verses is Zephaniah 3:17. "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Praise Jesus. Thank you, God.
I've felt God with me. He is walking with me in the storm. Beth Moore talks about when Jesus walked on water. I had never thought of the situation in the way she portrayed it. The story is in Matthew 14:22-33.
The disciples are in a boat, far from shore. They're struggling in a storm. Jesus comes out late, somewhere between 3 and 6 in the morning (the fourth watch of the night). I imagine they've been struggling for hours. When He gets there, He doesn't do what He's done in the past. Just chapters earlier, He silenced the wind and stilled the waves with his words. But this time, He doesn't open His mouth. Instead, He walks into the storm. He walks on the waves as the storm rages on. The disciples are terrified; they don't even recognize Him. Instantly, He speaks up, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Then Peter says the unthinkable. He tells Jesus to call him out of the boat. He offers his life, and Jesus says, "Come." Peter does. Peter walks on water with the Lord. When he notices his surroundings, he becomes overwhelmed and sinks, and Jesus immediately rescues him. The storm doesn't stop until together they return to the boat.
Jesus could have changed the circumstances. He could have rebuked the wind and waves and stopped the storm right then. He had done it before. He could have instantly removed the terror and discomfort, but He didn't. Instead, He walked into the disaster and called his follower to walk with Him.
This is my life. God has the power to stop the hurricane. I don't doubt that for a second. But instead, He's chosen to walk out to me, to call me out to walk with Him.
I have lived my entire life on calm waters, on land. Thank God, for that. God has so richly blessed me with a happy, easy life. I have always said I place my trust and faith in Him. Now all that is challenged. Now is the opportunity to show that what I have always said is truth. God has given me the opportunity to live out my words. I think this is the pure joy in the trial. The testing of my faith will develop perseverance.
I'm not worried. He's got this.
