Originally published Wednesday, 26 October 2016.
Be still and know that I am God.
But, that was precisely the problem. I couldn't be still. My heart was racing ten miles an hour. Ever been there? Where the face of your problems seems far more apparent than the loving face of your God? Where it is hard to know if God can fix what you are standing up against?
"Your child has been exposed to Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease."
I gave them the blank stare. I didn't know what this entailed, but I did know it sounded - horrific. Anything with the word "disease" in it is about enough to send mom's stomach flip-flopping and reeling in anxiety. Add visions of pussing, oozing and painful sores - and mom was already seeing red spots.
"Were they exposed to the sick kid a lot - or a little?"
"Oh, a lot and it is very contagious."
Thanks, lady. Thanks a lot. Oh, and thanks, God. Don't you know? I just came off the stomach flu that built into a cold that seemed to never end then my family was attacked with illness from the inside out. I've been run ragged and now I have to deal with - this? Great, how do you heal this thing?
In my spinning mind, my jumping, skipping and smiling daughter was already deeply ill. I could see it happening, and none of my prayers could stop this unforeseen visitor from coming.
When we open the gate to worry, it walks in, but it almost always invites its friend - doubt - to come along.
Are there uninvited guests filling your mind,
heart and soul with agony?
Doubt arrives as an attack on hope.
It deconstructs the goodness of God.
It wrecks the order of his love.
Its slow-seep is cancerous over time.
It corrodes dependence on God.
It is the devil's biggest win.
Doubt is about as good as a heart attack,
so how do we fight it?
Fight doubt with these 5 A's:
- Acknowledge the lies and God's corresponding truth.
- Ask for forgiveness.
- Admire the power, height and love of God.
- Abandon our own will.
- Affirm God's goodness through thanksgiving and prayer.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Phil. 4:8
If we filter the bad from the good, we will only be left with good. And, if we're left with good, we're left with God. Simply said: If we are filled with God, we can't be filled with doubt, fear and worry.
I'm going to bank on that verse up there. It keeps uninvited guests out!
Prayer Against Destructive Doubt:
God, you are in everything. You are above everything. You know everything. You are orchestrating everything. All control is yours. All vision is yours. All power is yours. You move the handle on my life. Thank you that you want to take care of me. Thank you that you love me. You withhold no good thing from me. Thank you that I can trust you. Not with half my heart, but with my whole heart. Thank you that you know my way, even when it looks not like "my way." Grant me greater faith to trust you by faith. Stand closer to me so I can dwell in your love. Help keep my mind steadfast on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. If I move with you, I won't depart from you. Teach me God in all your ways. I am open and willing to what you want to do in me. I need you, God. Amen.
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