Author: Jacquelin Stoner

Jacqui is a writer, teacher, life coach, and an encourager. She walks alongside of individuals who need help navigating to the better place God has envisioned for their lives. She has discovered that God is central to genuine lasting life change.

Nehemiah 4: Overcoming Adversity through Prayer

We stand tallest and strongest on our knees

Nehemiah 4 records a critical part of the game which can turn on the head of a dime. The completion of the massive project of rebuilding the walls around the city of Jerusalem is close to 50%. Work has progressed at least twenty days and the results are phenomenal. Concurrently, tons of debris are disposed of while walls are going up. Chapter 3 mentions the words “next to” 16 times. This is a massive joint effort from relative strangers working next to each other after returning from years in exile. And just when victory is rising on the horizon, the enemy shows up in full battle gear.

A PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL ATTACK

Sanballat is Nehemiah’s nemesis. The powerful Persian-appointed governor of Samaria appears loudly on the scene. Sanballat furiously opposes rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. A strong Jerusalem is a major threat to his powerbase. He pulls every trick in the book, including mockery, threats, and plots to disrupt the Jewish workers.  The enemy launches a powerful psychological and spiritual attack.

WORDS FROM THE PIT OF HELL

Enraged and furious, Sanballat publicly ridicules the Jews. “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” Sidekick Tobiah gleefully adds, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”. Words penned from the pit of hell.

WE STAND STRONGEST ON OUR KNEES

How does Nehemiah respond? He immediately runs to God. Nehemiah realizes that this battle is not his; it is God’s. Only God can handle Satan. Charles Stanley notes, “We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.”

God responds by giving the Jews new vigor. “At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people worked with enthusiasm.” End of drama? No! Sanballat and company “all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion.” The enemy loves to frighten and confuse us.

NO HOPE OF ANYTHING GETTING BETTER

Notice the response from the Jewish people this time: “But WE prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.” Prayer catches on at a crucial moment as a blanket of discouragement settles down on Jerusalem’s exhausted workers. “Then the people of Judah began to complain, ‘The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.’.. The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, ‘They will come from all directions and attack us!’” Sounds like the hopeless worldview of Winnie the Pooh’s friend Eeyore: “End of the road. Nothing to do. And no hope of things getting better.” Satan prepares for a victory lap.

WHEN VICTORY BLOSSOMS

The workers only see obstacles rather than the goal. This is the moment when God can shine the greatest. Yes, they will never be able to build the wall by themselves. Victory blossoms when we come to an end of ourselves, our own strengths, talents and abilities and admit it to God. Satan doesn’t like to hear when we totally submit to God. God’s angels begin running a victory lap.

REMEMBER WHO GOD IS

Nehemiah looks over the situation, calls together the nobles and the rest of the people and says, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” In other words, REMEMBER! REMEMBER WHO GOD IS!!!!!! These are the words that strike fear in the evil one’s heart.

The Jewish people at that point throw their lot totally into the hands of God. Instead of wringing their hands, they “work early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men are always on guard.” Can you imagine the new attitude and words of encouragement coming out of the mouths of God’s people?

The enemy retreats back to the shadows when we intentionally adjust our attitudes. “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious!” “We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.”

Getting to Know God: The Encounter with I AM

Read: Exodus 3:1-15

After a long hard day of caring for the sheep, he is tired and hungry. In lightened happy version, Moses sees a fire in the distance. A guy sits at a campfire roasting hot dogs and making smores. The stranger invites Moses to share in the feast. They ended a great evening of companionship singing Kumbaya. Moses walks away, thinking of the nice little visit he had with the nice man.

However, the biblical version of this event is not a friendly campfire. In Exodus 3, the fire of the holiness of the God of the Universe is burning and it is hot! Getting to know God can be uncomfortable.

God’s timing is unique. He reveals Himself to an old shepherd who has seen better days. While in his prime, Moses’ future held great promise. Raised in Pharoah’s Court, Moses was privileged, bright, articulate and brash. Impulsive Moses took on the cloak of a revolutionary. By murdering an Egyptian, he rebelled against the oppression of his people, the Israelites. However, none of his people joined the cause. Moses flees for his life. By Exodus 3 he is broken. Why would God want to know him?

If asked the identity of Moses, the Israelites during this time would probably all ask, “Moses??? Moses who?” But God thoroughly knew who Moses had become, the man who matured during all those years while tending stupid sheep. Moses’ pride evaporated a long time ago. When people arrive at the end of themselves, this is when God can finally work. This is the time to get to know God.

Nothing gets past God. His timing is always right. This is not a comfortable, feel-good God. You can understand the terror of Moses when he hears: “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Who is this God?

Moses not only wonders, “Who am I?” he asks God, “Who are You?” God answers, “I AM.” Those two words describe the God of eternity. “When used as a stand-alone description, I AM is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God’s existence is not contingent upon anyone else. His plans are not contingent upon any circumstances. He promises that He will be what He will be; that is, He will be the eternally constant God. He stands, ever-present and unchangeable, completely sufficient in Himself to do what He wills to do and to accomplish what He wills to accomplish. (Gotquestions.org)

Is this the God you know and acknowledge every day of your life? Do you wake up with joy knowing that God is eternally present in your day? When you are exhausted, do you choose to still obey and serve the completely sufficient God? God doesn’t care about all your inabilities; God just requires that you offer yourself unreservedly to Him. God wants you to know Him.

Maybe you will not be leading millions of people out of captivity, but regardless of the challenge you can courageously get to know Christ. After all, I Am is the eternally constant God. His plans are much bigger than a comfortable little campfire. Before this God we take off our shoes, lay prone, and offer up our hands in obedience. What a God to know!

God chooses the most unlikely people to get to know Him and to serve in incredible ways. Unlikely? Yes! But not unwilling. Read about: Mary Slessor, a millworker. Christiana Tsai, who said, “My bed is not a prison, but a training school; the Holy Spirit is my mentor, and my visitors are my homework.” Hudson Taylor, the father of modern missions. Get to know the I AM!

Do You Want Your Life Upended? A Call for Change

I have spent a lot of miles driving the car with at least one hand raised, offering up ordeal to God.

Yet another round of medical tests. We rarely play “Dr. Google” with the results from the hospital portal, but we do observe how Bill’s blood tests are trending. A recent wait for results felt especially exhausting. Our health journey has transported us to landscapes we never envisioned. We pray. Friends pray for us and with us. What do we pray for more than anything else? Strength for the journey, regardless of medical test results. Strength as our lives are upended by this illness.

TURNED UPSIDE DOWN

“Upended” means turned on its end or upside down. In the Gospel of John (John 5:1-14) we read of a man whose life was upended. Jesus challenges the disabled man: “Do you want to get well?” Never given a name in the Gospel account, let’s call the disabled guy “Joe”. Why in the world does Jesus ask, “Do you want to get well?” Seems like a strange query to ask someone who has spent his life unable to walk and having to beg for a living.

DID HE REALLY WANT CHANGE?

Why did Jesus ask this? Maybe historical context will help. Jewish culture considered it a blessing to give money to the poor. Culture says that if you do a good work God gives back to you. It is transactional. You give money and God fills your coffers. After many years, Joe had regular donors who thought God in return would give right back to them. Did Joe really want to get well with the resulting change?

Rephrase Jesus question as: “Do you want your entire life upended? Do you want substantial change?” Restored mobility entailed Joe’s finding regular employment, not being eligible for handouts, and contributing to society. Did he really want an upended life? Change can be painful.

Jesus added something to his conversation which has eternal value. “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Sounds like Joe possessed terminal spiritual disabilities much worse than his physical condition. Did this message take root as Joe picked up his mat and danced home? Did he choose to change and become a Jesus follower?

DO WE WANT OUR LIVES UPENDED?

“Do you want your life upended?” In our own household, do we want our lives upended? Will Bill’s healing come in this world or the next? God asks us daily to open our hands and give all of it over to Him. I have spent a lot of miles driving the car with at least one hand raised, offering up our condition. Our response to circumstances is our offering to God. We ask that the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit daily wash over our lives. We want others to see lives transformed by Christ. Hard as it is, we keep asking God to upend our lives.

LIVES TRANSFORMED

The hard question: do you want transformation? “Transformation” means “change or renewal from a life that no longer conforms to the ways of the world to one that pleases God” (Romans 12:2) Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. (II Corinthians 5:17)

Transformation is costly. Do I continue to desire to be upended by Christ? Do you? Click to read Fannie’s story of a transformed life.

Emmanuel: God’s Promise to Exiled Humanity

The highway leading to eternal separation from God now offers an off-ramp leading to eternal community

Read: Colossians 1:21-22

Did you realize everyone who walks on Planet Earth is an exile, someone barred from one’s native country? Adam and Eve’s native country was the Garden of Eden. Daily, they walked and delighted in the presence of God. However, they were barred from their birthplace when they sinned. Sin brought both separation from God and death.  Because sin cannot in anyway exist in the presence of God, all mankind became “separated from Him by our evil thoughts and actions”. Thanks to Adam and Eve, all mankind is naturally born exiled from the very presence of God.

THE ETERNAL GOD REACHED OUT

This broke God’s heart. The original Latin text for the hymn “O Come O Come Emmanuel” contains a reverse acrostic. It translates: “I shall be with you tomorrow”. The Eternal God reaches out to exiled humanity. He promised us His presence. That’s why God gave His Son the name Emmanuel which literally means “God with us”.

Written around the 8th century, this hymn was meant to be sung antiphonally. This entailed alternate singing by two choirs, positioned on opposite sides of a sanctuary. The first choir would sing “O come, O come, Emmanuel” While the sound waves still resonated across the expanse, the 2nd choir began singing “And ransom captive Israel”. And so, they alternately sing line after line, ever growing in confident hope. The building reverberates with the glorious sounds. Heaven rejoices as God reaches out to exiled humanity.

THE SON OF GOD APPEARS

All the angelic hosts break loose singing “the Son of God appears! Rejoice! Rejoice!” Heaven resounds with exuberant jubilant song. This is not the half-hearted clapping for someone receiving a participation award. This is the full throttle choirs of the heavens stamping their feet because God has won! The highway leading to eternal separation from God now offers an off-ramp leading to eternal community, companionship, and peace with God. The exiles no longer must face separation from God.

GOD IS WITH US! DRAW NEAR!

For all of you longing, hungering for God, His promise has been fulfilled. O Lord, make safe the way that leads to Thee and close the path to misery. God is with us! Draw near!

We face a new year. Challenges and heartbreak which you never anticipated may try to tear apart your life in shockwaves of pain. However, whatever comes, God also invites you to unimaginable victory. God invites the exile home. He desires to spend every moment with us.  Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”

RUN TO THE FATHER

Run to the Father. He offers you His eternal presence. Regardless of what 2026 brings, no longer do you have to remain in exile. Come home!

O come, O come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appears. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, oh Israel

O come, Thou Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home. Make safe the way that leads to thee and close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, oh Israel

Finding Hope in the Hospital: A Personal Journey

This was not a good day at the hospital. Where was hope?

This was not a good day at the hospital. Where was hope? The doctors are not happy with the amount of fluid the kidneys refuse to expel; the physician again adjusted the meds. Bill’s blood pressure began to climb. To top it off, the other doctor was not happy regarding the occasional dips in oxygen. Didn’t God know what was going on?

CANCELLED HOMECOMING

This was the day Bill had a 50/50 chance of finally coming home from the hospital. That chance flew out the window. Our hopes plummeted. I was barely able to put one foot in front of the other. Didn’t God hear me?

DOESN’T GOD WATCH OUT FOR ME?

My emotional state was fragile. And then came the text. An acquaintance told me in no uncertain terms what demands I must make of the hospital. This text was not a suggestion; it was in command form. I need another command like a hole in my head right now. Doesn’t God watch out for me?

Earlier I had prayed for just some glimpse of Him on a very dark day.

GOD SHOWS UP IN THE PRODUCE AISLE

But in then the middle of this mess, God shows us up!!!! I stopped at the grocery store on the way home.  There’s a young man who works there who is both friendly and goofy. The guy is a big man, and I look like a midget beside him. He passed by me in the produce aisle, paused and turned around. Then he asked, “How are you doing Honey?” (No disrespect, he always calls me that) 

I barely kept back the tears as I told him this wasn’t a good day. He asked what happened. After carefully listening, he gave me not only one, but two bear hugs. He told me he’s praying for me.

GOD HEARS EVEN IN THE DARK

God heard me all the while today and sent a young man as an angel in the produce aisle. In the midst of all of this, God is very much present. I only can see right in front of me, but God sees the miles yet to go. God hears even in the dark. What a blessing when random people feel the nudges of God and obey! God shows up.

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? (Matthew 6:26-27)

GOD SHOWS UP

All those tears I have tried to keep in check since the first hospitalization on November 25th ran down my face. God heard.

Since November 25th our days have been filled with ER visits, hospitalizations, doctor appointments, and a confusing array of conflicting opinions from specialists. We are exhausted, down to our last array of strength, and God keeps showing up often when we least expect it.

ANGELS FROM GOD

“Angel” means messenger from God. God apparently has an abundance of them in human form. Two days ago, I was exceptionally brittle and down to my last ounce of courage. As I trucked in to yet again keep vigil at the hospital a song played. It mentioned tears at Christmas. At that point I lost it. I literally howled in the car. All those tears I have tried to keep in check since the first hospitalization on November 25th ran down my face. God heard.

LOVED, SNOT AND ALL

God showed up. That afternoon one friend stopped by unannounced. She lost her husband several years ago and understands the emotional and spiritual warfare at play. She didn’t tell me to buck up or shower me with Christian truisms. Instead, she hugged me, loved me, spoke Scripture over me and prayed for me. Within the hour another Christian sister also visited; let me cry, snot and all. God showed up through these angels.

None of these sisters belong to a Christian committee or are paid to visit. They just listen to God and turn up.

ROCK BOTTOM

The next day, Bill hit bottom both physically and emotionally. The doctor told him that his blood numbers are finally beginning to start to look better. The next words were “You will be here until at least the weekend.” Not the words Bill wanted to hear, especially since he was experiencing unrelenting backpain. Bill had just been transferred out of the ICU to a new floor in the hospital. They were understaffed. Official medical help was a long time a coming.

BROTHER D

Out of the blue, in walked Brother D. He didn’t have a set agenda. God delivered our messenger of encouragement. Brother D did it beautifully. He listened to God’s nudge and obeyed.

DRIVE BY MESSENGERS

Then arrived our friends from another country. I call them “God’s Drive by Messengers”. Due to their experience caring for their invalid father for a number of years, they gave Bill the best foot massage he ever received. Then together as a team they repositioned him on his bed, so Bill’s back was more at ease. Nudged by God, they showed up and unconventionally obeyed.

HEARING THE NUDGE AND SHOWING UP

And that is the role of genuine believers – they listen to God and show up. It might not be something in their comfort level, and it may not fit in their schedule.

Thanks to all of you who have sent messages, called and dropped by. Kudos to you who have ardently kept us in your prayers. Since November 25th, twice without the intervention of God we would have lost Bill. Heaven will be blessed by Bill’s presence but there are still so many more lives Bill wants to reach for Christ.

GOD SMILES

Dear Messengers, the world is not aware of your service, but Heaven is listening to your obedience to Christ. You have felt God’s nudge and showed up. God smiles.

I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY

Christmas Day 1862 Henry wrote in his journal “A merry Christmas” say the children, but that is no more for me.”

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these lyrics during a dark season. Two years previously his wife had been sealing envelopes with hot wax when the flame caught her clothes on fire.  Henry, burned badly as well, was too sick to attend her funeral.  For the remainder of his life, he covered up his facial scars behind a long beard. Christmas Day 1862 Henry wrote in his journal “A merry Christmas” say the children, but that is no more for me.”

NO PEACE ON EARTH

By 1863 the country tore itself apart in Civil War.  Against Henry’s wishes (and fears) his son, Charles, enlisted in the army. No wonder Henry wrote: And in despair I bowed my head, ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said, for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men. In November, a bullet pierced Charles from back to shoulder, just nicking his spine. Henry traveled to Washington to retrieve his son from the hospital.  Arriving at home December 8th, Charles began his extended convalescence.  This was grief at its deepest. 

God loved Henry in the midst. His love had not run out.

GOD IS NOT DEATH NOR DOTH HE SLEEP!

Slowly, Henry’s heart began to heal and turn back to God.  Along with everything else, he experienced a dry season in writing.  But then, sitting at his desk one morning he heard the church bells.  Henry’s heart began to resonate with the return of hope.  Hope for his son, hope for his family and hope for a nation torn apart by war.  God began to wake his heart when he wrote: “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! The wrong shall fail, the right prevail. With peace on earth, good-will to men!” God had not departed.

THE BELLS PEAL FOR ETERNITY

The sinless One, Jesus Christ, came to bring hope: complete reconciliation between mankind and God.  Because of this, Longfellow journaled: “I thought how as the day had come; the belfries of all Christendom had rolled along the unbroken song of peace on earth, good will to men.   That’s why the bells peal for all eternity.”  Will the bells peal for all eternity signaling that you have made peace with God via Jesus Christ?  Even when grief is at its deepest, God has not departed. The season of darkness can pass.  

Click to read more on discovering lasting peace.

GOD DOES NOT FOLLOW MY PLANS

God did not follow my plans for Thanksgiving. God also has not apologized.

God did not follow my plans for Thanksgiving. I anticipated a lovely meal with our adult children with lots of laughter. The phrase “the plans of mice and men oft go awry” comes from the 1785 poem “To a Mouse” by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. It means that even the most carefully made plans can go wrong. In the poem, Burns apologizes to a mouse whose nest he accidentally destroyed while plowing a field. God did not follow my plans. God also has not apologized.

THE DRIVE TO THE ER

We noticed in the weeks before Thanksgiving that Bill’s asthma worsened. We called the doctor for the usual prescription of prednisone. However, God planned differently. It was Tuesday of T-day week, and the medical office requested that Bill come in for an in-person visit. The nurse checked his vitals. Bill’s blood pressure was alarmingly high. The doctor told him immediately to go to the ER. This didn’t fit our plans for the week. Bill argued with the doctor. The doctor won the discussion. I drove Bill to the ER.

NO HALLMARK MOVIE

The ER staff saw him stat and what we thought was asthma proved to be fluid accumulating around the heart and lungs. Again, not our plan. After all, this was Thanksgiving week! Admission to the hospital followed. More tests and bloodwork. We soon learned that one of Bill’s kidneys decided to take a timeout. As the week stretched out, Bill thought he would return home for our picture-perfect Thanksgiving (like in the Hallmark movies). That plan also short circuited. The days crawled by, and the blood pressure remained in the stratosphere. Why didn’t God follow our plans? Didn’t He hear our prayers? Doesn’t God follow the script of Hallmark movies?

GOD’S ANSWERS TO OUR PRAYERS

Yes, God did hear our prayers, but the answers arrived in ways we never anticipated. We always pray that God will daily use us for His glory. God answered as Bill befriended hospital staff and Christ naturally fit into conversations. Bill talked with people he never would have naturally met in our normal plans.

We daily pray for strength, courage to follow Christ, and that God would look out for us. Our plan was an easy prescription of prednisone. God’s plan was someone looking further into Bill’s health and discovering a walking time bomb. God looked out for Bill even when we didn’t know the situation was critical.

Due to my vision difficulties, my plan is to avoid night driving at all costs. God’s plan was for me to drive home from the hospital late that first pitch-black night in pouring down rain. Talk about the song “Jesus Take the Wheel”! God settled my nerves, directed my route, and I only ran against one curb. God’s plan is best when I totally depend on Him.

UNEXPECTED GIFTS

On the 8th day of his hospital stay, Bill was finally disconnected from the IV and released. Given a large bag of new meds, volumes of instructions, and a schedule for further testing and specialist visits, we gratefully made our exit. It is the season of giving. We didn’t anticipate these gifts.

Other than our ultimate reunion with Jesus, we do not know the details of what God has planned in the coming days. We do know the quality of God’s plans, and they are always perfect, filled with His lovingkindness and tender mercy.

“Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name. Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget any of His benefits… Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the [soaring] eagle” (Psalm 103:1-5)

I plan to keep on blessing and praising God, even in the darkest night.

PEACE THAT LASTS

Can you imagine the noise and confusion greeting Mary and Joseph? No peace to be found there.

Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright. …… sleep in heavenly peace. I love You Lord, I worship You. Hope which was lost now stands renewed; I give my life to honor this, the love of Christ the Savior King

BETHLEHEM’S CHAOS

Bethlehem was a loud chaotic mess that night. The Roman emperor, Augustus, demanded a census be taken throughout the Empire so all would register for a tax.  Under Roman law, thousands of people were ordered by the government to travel to their ancestral cities. Augustus forced a highly resentful captive people to travel in harsh conditions in order to hand over their hard-earned cash. Hope departed long ago for any lasting peace.

NO PEACE TO BE FOUND

When Mary and Joseph arrived at Bethlehem, they found a town not equipped to handle a huge influx of visitors. Both food and lodging were scare. Can you imagine the noise and confusion greeting these travelers? No peace to be found here.

A very pregnant Mary and Joseph finally lodged in a cave in the company of animals. No quiet birthing suite to be had. At the baby’s first cry, a giant chorus of angels began singing, inviting an influx of shepherds and sheep to the mix at the stable. So, “silent night” as we would normally picture, did not apply here.

CREATION NOW HAD A FUTURE

However, if one understands “silent night, holy night” as the Creator coming to the forefront, it is a whole different matter. God thwarts Satan before the face of all the universe by the birth of King Jesus in the manger. The Creator gives notice to the Evil One. God expresses His holiness in a tiny baby. Creation now owns a future.

WHY WE CAN SING

That’s why we can sing, quieting all our worries, troubles, tears, and woes. “I love You Lord, I worship You. Hope lost, now stands renewed.” God laid the way to permanently break the barrier of sin which separates us from a holy God. “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). The only honorable response from us can be: “I give my life to honor this, the (absolute) love of Christ the Savior King.”

HOPE LOST, NOW STANDS RENEWED

Peace with God; finally achieved. That is the calmness, the brightness and significance of this night. Chaotic Bethlehem births the major step toward eternal peace with God. Hallelujah! “Hope which lost, now stands renewed.”

Click to read more about the peace God gives

DO NOT FEAR

This past week I journeyed into my deepest fears.

I struggle with all types of fears, both real and imagined. This past week I journeyed into my deepest fears. My husband landed in the hospital and still is there as I write this. I seem to either expand in trusting God or I flounder in despair. What does God say to my heart during these times of turbulence? He points to Mary.

GOD’S FAVOR

Only a simple teenage girl, Mary, came from a backwater town. So why did God choose Mary? God never provides any extensive explanation. The angel announces to Mary that she is chosen to be the mother of the Messiah. God “favors” this unwed girl to give birth to the Chosen One, the Savior of the world. She only knows that God chose her. God “favors” her.

I always connect “favor” with honor: someone given front row seats, the keys to the city and a crown on their head. It is hard to combine the concept of favor with heartbreak. Can God favor me even when my heart breaks?

FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY MIXED WITH JOY

In Luke 1 the angels twice calls Mary “favored by God”; blessed by God. He makes her the most honored woman on earth, but she will become intimately acquainted with the worst heartbreak known to humanity. At the angel’s initial announcement, she feels both fear and uncertainty mixed with joy. This expands and painfully stretches her heart year by year. She sees her beloved Son grow up and do the unexpected, time after time. Her sinless Son lives in a broken world, attacked by the forces of hell. Can you feel her fear?

GOD IS NEAR

This favored woman daily needs the angel’s words to resonate in her heart: The God who redeems you and ever will keep you is near, do not fear. In this time of great uncertainty, I also need this promise and hope. The God who redeems me and ever keeps me is near. Do not fear.

HELD BY THE HAND OF GOD

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Click to learn more about life with less fear.