I Am with You

On March 24, I wrote the following in my prayer journal:

Father, I trust You to keep me going in spite of constant pain and fatigue. I need extra grace right now. Often I have difficulty making it through the day because of extreme fatigue. It is so hard, Lord! But You know that. I pray I would persevere and that You would be glorified through my weakness.

"Challenging" describes my health the past couple of months. Not only have I dealt with pain and fatigue from fibromyalgia, but I've also lived with menopausal night sweats which have kept me from sleeping through the night. I was on Premarin for years which kept the night sweats at bay, but last summer I discontinued it because of warnings that it might cause breast cancer.

I look back and marvel at God's faithfulness through these last couple of months. He gave me (and continues to give me) strength to take care of my grandkids, cook and clean house as well as pursuing His plans for Comfort & Compassion Ministry .

At one of my lowest points, God directed me to this verse:

Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

When I read that, I felt like God had penned it just for me. Next time you feel fearful and anxious, ask yourself these questions and then look at God's reassurances.

1. What do I fear? For me, it was the fear that my physical problems would keep me from continuing with Comfort & Compassion Ministry. I've lived with fibromyalgia for over 25 years. God continually gives me the strength to live out His purpose for me. But I feared the added burden of not sleeping would cause me to shut down.

2. Am I anxiously looking at my circumstances? In other words, living by sight and not faith? It helps me to remember that Jesus, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. (Heb. 12:2b) Hebrews 12:3 tells us to think about Jesus enduring hostility against Himself so that we will not grow weary and lose heart. Jesus has been there; He knows how I feel. He is in heaven interceding for me. My circumstances are never too big for Him.

3. Do I really believe God will take care of me during difficult times? Let's break Isaiah 41:10 down and look at the reassurance God gives us that He will take care of us.

a. I am Your God. When I meditate on who God is, it relieves the fear and anxiety. Our God is all powerful, full of grace and mercy, able to do all things. That includes fulfilling His purpose for me in spite of my physical state.

b. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Doubts seem stronger at night when a hot flash wakes me up and I have difficulty going back to sleep because of pain. This verse reminds me that God always gives me strength when I need it, and He always helps me in times of trouble. I thank Him for that and eventually fall back asleep.

c. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. What a word picture! I often think about God holding my hand as I walk through tough times. He is big and strong, and I am weak, dependent, and needy. I cannot slip and fall because God has me by the hand.

We need to lean into God and cling to His promises when we feel least like doing that. Joy comes through the reassurances in God's Word that surely He will strengthen and help us. Joy also comes from knowing that someday God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more fatigue. What a glorious day that will be!

Facing our Fears - Part 2

I love this quote by John Wayne: "Courage is being scared to death . . . but saddling up anyway."

We don't need to get down on ourselves when fear invades our life. It’s what we do with the fear that matters. Even the great apostle Paul experienced fear. He said in 1 Corinthians 2:3, "I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling." Paul went to the Corinthians in spite of his fear. He "saddled up."

Some of the synonyms for weakness are feebleness, puniness, frailty, helplessness, inability, exhaustion. The word fear means fright, terror, panic, alarm, timidity. Paul felt that way in addition to "much trembling" which is to shake, quake, shudder, shiver.

What caused Paul to go the Corinthians despite his feelings of weakness, fear, and trembling? Obviously, his obedience to Christ overruled his fear. But also, I believe Paul saw his message of the cross so crucial that it overrode any fright he had. Paul loved the Corinthians enough to put aside his fears for their wellbeing.

So what do we do when fear squashes our courage?

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. . .He humbled Himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:4,8b

Jesus endured the cross for our salvation. Do we love as Christ loved? Are we willing to overcome our fear for the benefit of others? Fear calls us to look inward; courage calls us to look outward and upward.

Sometimes I'm tempted to use my chronic illness as an excuse when God calls me to do something scary. You know what keeps me going? First, thinking about Christ's sacrifice for me. Then, thinking about people like Joni Erickson Tada. I'm sure she's overcome many fears so that God could work through her in an amazing way.

You may be the example of courage that someone is looking for. We never know who's watching our lives. So,ladies, we live in Texas. Next time we’re scared to death to step out in faith and obey God, let’s saddle up anyway!