“I Have Hidden Your Word in My Heart…”
How does someone get through a catastrophic situation , especially one that lasts for such a long time? I’m thinking of Prisoners of War, Jews that survived the Holocaust, miners trapped below the earth and people with long-term debilitating illness…sometimes alone? How do they rise above their circumstances and maintain their sanity? I recall reading about the POWs in Vietnam…for years isolated in a pit underground with bamboo stakes woven to keep them enclosed. How horrible that must have been for them. From whence cometh their strength? What keeps them sane in horrific confinement? I recall being in South Dakota in a cave that went down, down and further down into the earth. We had our daughters with us at ages 6 & 8, I believe. It was a wonderful, educational tour…until the lights went out. We didn’t know that there was a strong electrical storm that came through and knocked the power out. The guide calmy said there were candles and matches on the ledges near where we were standing. Everyone found a candle…no one found matches. TOTAL darkness! Then one person said they had a cigarette lighter and soon everyone’s candle was shining brightly. It really was beautiful. We waited a good while for the power to come back on so that we could ride the elevator back up. We sang, I guess as many stranded groups do, and that was enjoyable. Soon, the guide said we needed to start back up while we still had the light of our candles. Then, a bit of panic struck in our older daughter’s fear that someone would catch her long blond hair on fire. She really was fearful that that could happen so I promised I would be the one right behind her and that I would blow my candle out. Everyone made it out fine without any fires. 😉 Now that I am claustrophobic, what seems to work for me when I have to be in the MRI tube or have oral surgery for which I could not be sedated or getting through any tough or debilitating moments is to return to the Holy scriptures I have safely hidden in my mind and heart. Hidden there safely and for all time, I am never without them. God’s Word is a sanctuary or safe haven from all worries. Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 63:8 “My soul clings to You;Your right hand upholds me.” Now, spending some time in the MRI-like tube yesterday, I was relaxing with my eyes closed completely at peace in my sanctuary, and a funny thought I’ve never experienced in those super-tight quarters before crept in and it was all I could do to not laugh right out loud. That thought was “how amazing it is that Christ actually can fit inside here WITH me since I take up just about every cubic inch myself!” But, thankfully, Christ goes before me everywhere, constantly with me, loving me, assuring me, strengthening me and giving me peace. Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”...
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Those who know me well, have heard me say many times that, for me, my breast cancer journey was more of a spiritual journey than an illness. As I reflect on that now, I find myself being so very thankful…feeling so blessed along those paths. Did I WANT cancer? Absolutely NOT!!! Was it horrifically challenging along the way? Oh, yes, indeed! Did I learn a lot from the experience and grow as I trod those paths? Without a doubt, immensely. Some say, cancer is a great teacher. I know who the teacher is…it is God, the Creator of the Universe, the Giver of Life, the Lover of our Souls. Now, I was one of those patients whose chemotherapy made me very sick and I had extreme fatigue. I lived alone and my two grown daughters lived out-of-state. Divorced after 26 years of marriage. Yes, I lived alone. Some were concerned about that, but I felt confident that God could handle this and I would trust in Him. God’s Holy Spirit was my CONSTANT companion. I was NEVER alone. I found my own lump as I folded my arm up across my chest settling into bed after putting my little granddaughters to bed. God led me to it. You might be laughing, “right, Pat.” But, He did and that’s all there is to it. My fingertips barely touched my gown and “BINGO! What the heck is THAT?” Out of the bed I jumped, felt it and knew without a doubt that this was “different.” Went back to bed and said nothing about the discovery to my daughter and wee ones as I left the next day on my 7 hour drive back home from Nashville to Statesville, NC. The following day I began all the doctor visits, all confirming, “yes, this is different.” So, the sickness and the extreme fatigue…I was so sick, that it seemed I could not lie deeply enough into my mattress…but that was part of the deal. I could not do ANYTHING except lie there, be sick, take my meds guided by a chart by my bed and sometimes, just sometimes, think. That’s where God really had my back. Even in the absolute weakest times, when I could not utter a word of prayer, the blessing in that is that God’s Holy Spirit intercedes and prays for us. Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” What a comfort that was and still is today. Sometimes I would just lie there and think of favorite scriptures and one that is so powerful is Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” Such a gift; such a promise…forever!!Be Still and Know If we know and trust THAT, what else is there? The song attached here is “Be Still and Know” by the Fray. I enjoy it so very much and thought on this day, with everything going on in our world, I would share it for a purposeful refocusing… “Be still and know that I am God.” ...
Read More“Be Still and Know…”
Sometimes I have a hard time letting God be God. How ridiculous that is of me! Who do I think I am? I mean, I don’t INTEND to be that way, but every now and then, I realize, it just happens. It happens during minute, little everyday moments when I FORGET that God is right there with me as I am explaining to the officer just why I was going 55 in a 35 MPH zone. Now, I am one of those who has no shame in telling the truth…sometimes, I realize, that I might have fared better if I hadn’t, but I do and the officer usually just looks at me, writes my ticket and advises me to “slow down.” I don’t really have difficulty in accepting that God didn’t get me out of that scrape without a ticket because I was breaking the law and I realize on down the road, having received that ticket may be just the thing that slows me down and I avoid hurting myself or someone else. In bigger, more serious times…even in life-changing times when I struggle with a situation and don’t think to turn to God, that’s when I realize I need to be knocked on the head as a reminder. But, God chooses a kinder, gentler way of getting my attention through a favorite Bible verse of mine, Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am GOD…” Really? I mean we shouldn’t have to be reminded like that but in today’s hectic and fast-paced world, I find that it is just what we DO need. I carry a little faith stone which has that verse etched on it and I have clung to it so often that I know now it is etched on my heart, mind and soul where it should be. I recall telling my children when I spotted an owl in the woods, “Shhh…be still and look up.” Someone said to me not long ago that they didn’t think the Bible was written for people today. Au contraire, mon frere! The scriptures are totally timeless and there are some like this one in Psalms that I think are possibly even more needed by us today than centuries back. Sometimes there is a fine line between a good thing becoming a bad thing. Consider advances in communication technology. I am an aficionada of tech advances in communications; however I realize that the use of them must be properly managed in order to “protect” ourselves from overload, invasion of privacy, and loss of quiet time for relaxation, meditation and our spiritual connection with our Creator. Children today are growing up in this super-charged techno world and too much of a good thing can be harmful so we must guide their use carefully. I was reading an article from Jason Jackson with Christian Courier where he said “It is ‘God’s past‘ that provides calm for ‘our future.‘ Know that he is God! Know it, not merely intellectually, but practically, spiritually, and emotionally. He is your God. He is the ruler of kingdoms of this earth and the all-powerful Creator of the Universe.” I like that. When the large meteor hit Russia injuring over 1,000 people the other day, I bet I am not the only person who thought about what if it had been even bigger and hit here. When something like that happens, it is even more important to us to know that God is God. This world will, at some point, come to an end, but life does not end. God is infinite...
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