Many years ago, when I was fighting the raging storm of my child’s drug addiction, I began having severe pain in my back. Doctor after doctor and test after test revealed the worse answer… nothing was wrong with me. The months passed until I became almost bedbound with crippling pain in my back. Exhausted and exasperated I went back to my original doctor empty handed of any real answers. He finally looked at me and said what no one likes to hear… ‘Brenda, I believe it is simply stress.’ I’m here to tell you that there was nothing simple about my stress or my life. At first, I felt nothing but anger at the thought that it was all in my head, but then sadness followed quickly with the reality that nothing about my circumstances were going to change anytime soon. My battle cry was when, my war was fear and my body was a casualty. I’m so thankful that was over 23 years ago, and the Lord rescued both mother and child.
This morning I was reading my Bible study when suddenly I realized that I was under stress which was news to me. The question asked about ‘little stressors in my life’ and my pen took off before my mind could stop it. Four different stressors streamed out in green ink which revealed an age-old battle cry… ‘When…How long Lord?’ One stressor was when will our townhome sell, while another was when we will have work? Yet another two stressors pled two private pleas of promises made but the timeframe not given. I suddenly realized why I’ve been so short and sassy and bossy with poor Bruce. I’m stressed out with the how longs of my life and the continual realization that I have no control over those resolutions. Thankfully, God gives us everything we need in our battle cries to relieve the stress. He instructs us to remedy our stressors with His beautiful concoction of medicine. ‘Finally…whatever is true…honorable…just…pure…lovely… commendable…any excellence…worthy of praise…think about these things…and the God of peace will be with you.’ Ph 4:8-9. That’s right! That’s it! When I think of the sale, I will think of the past blessings from our time at Folly. When I think of no work, I will think of the provisions God has made for us through this time. When I think of the unfulfilled promises, I will think of the comfort in the fact that these promises will not be broken.
I’m not sure if your battle cry is ‘Who, Lord?’, ‘How, Lord?’ 'What if, Lord?' or even ‘Why, Lord?’ But, I do know that when we think about the things that God offers, the things of Ph 4:8-9, we gain the strength from the power that God has provided in all of our wars. We must reach for it and push away from the defeating thoughts of the circumstances that stress us. ‘These worries we carry are legitimate concerns, but God is faithful and good.’ Stronger, Angela Thomas-Pharr, p. 55.
I’m so grateful that God’s strength is so much greater than my when’s, and this same power and strength is available for your battle cries.
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