Used with permission.įamily Talk is a Christian non-profit organization located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This devotional is taken from Night Light for Couples. The Lord Almighty is with us” ( Psalm 46:2, 7). That is why we can say, with the psalmist, “We will not fear. But I know that even in those threatening circumstances, He is “an ever‐present help in trouble” ( Psalm 46:1). I can’t explain why He sometimes allows us to experi‐ence fearful situations even though we are praying. In a frantic moment my trust was tested and God again proved faithful. I am convinced that God protected us that night through my pan‐icked prayer. Let’s go look.” We walked to the window and saw that the screen was bent and the window sill splintered. “If a burglar wanted to break into our house,” I said, “he would probably try to get in through the bathroom window near our children’s bedrooms. Then my neighbor told me that the police had determined the time of the robbery-about 2 A.M., the same time I had awakened in fear! A thief had bro‐ken in and escaped with the family’s vacation money, about $500. Dobson, did you hear what happened? A burglar robbed your next‐door neighbor’s house last night!” It was true. The next morning one of our teenage neighbors ran over from across the street. Send Your guardian angel to be with us.” I climbed back into bed and fell asleep about a half hour later. I ask You to watch over our home and protect our family. “Oh, Lord,” I prayed, “I don’t know why I’m so frightened. After a few minutes of worrying, I forced myself out of bed and sank to my knees on the floor. One night when he was away, I awoke with a start at 2 A.M. When Focus on the Family was in its early stages and our children were young, Jim often traveled. That God has provided us with Himself.“Do not let your hearts be troubled. I like when she asks me to do dishes so she can memorize another verse of Isaiah 43 (her current project).Īlthough every morning she and I wake to unknowns, we also wake knowing God has provided us new mercies. She’s found that her mind could morph into a battlefield of chronic fear and stress. Scripture anchors her to what’s true when gales of fear sweep in.And since it’s not un-Christian to tend to yourself, I love to see her make healthy food choices, exercise regularly, take nightly detox baths, and snag her favorite tea from Starbucks.She doesn’t just need an aspirin, a nap, or the right smoothie. To well-intended people, she has to advocate for herself as a valued image-bearer of God. She has to be okay with a smaller to-do list.For my wife, this task is often keeping a raw and honest journal-and watching our three boys. He is a very present help in trouble ( Psalm 46:1). You matter to Him, to your family, and to this Kingdom. However confusing, agonizing, and potentially depressing the day is, ask Jesus to reveal the task He has for you today.Only a year in, the pain has been unrelenting.Ī dozen doctors (at least), a hundred types of supplements (at least), a thousand tears (at least), a million questions, doubts, and false hopes of sure-fire remedies (at least).įrom John the Baptist to Elijah to Jesus Himself in Gethsemane, we know that even for the most mature disciple of Jesus, life gets dark.Īs I asked my wife to reflect on her new normal, here’s the steel God has formed in her soul: Her constant refrain: “This is so overwhelming.” Shin shocks, nerve flares, agonizing flurries in her spine, spinning in her head, aching in her stomach. But quick as a gunshot, my bride began experiencing an incessant, peculiar, unrelievable pain.
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