The night storm slams rain onto the lonely highway, shooting his lightning daggers near. In an instant, the world reverts to slow-motion, tires leave the pavement and spin me 360-degrees. Losing control, I hurl toward the ditch. Like in a movie, my thoughts flash—Will I be stranded? Will my car be ok? Will I be ok?
And I have just enough time to breathe a two-word prayer before impact—Please, Lord.
Few nightmares leer worse for someone like me–than encountering loss of control in my life. As a planner and an organizer, I need my days to make sense and all my duckies to fall in a row. I never dreamed in 2022, we would still live with mass illness and deal with the repercussions.
Here’s an excerpt from my 2021 blog. And unfortunately, the same words ring true a year later:
“Like packages lost in the mail, we were left with an uncertain future. But we survived this crisis thus far, so our New year’s resolution may look different this year. We may take less for granted and count our blessing in lieu of the tragedies surrounding us. Are we now rewired to think differently about the future? We have all been slapped with a good dose of the fragility of life. So will we cherish our blessings and refuse to take them for granted?” Jan 2021
We don’t know what 2022 holds, and after the disappointments of 2020 and 2021, we eye the future with suspicion. So let’s learn from the past.
God employs trials to bring his people back to Him–think David’s anguish after his sin with Bathsheba or Paul struck blind. He didn’t make David lust or make Paul a persecutor. Choices. And He didn’t make the Israelites disbelieve Joshua’s confidence–they could snag Canaan. But when they dug their heels in, He banishes them into the desert to remind them of the answer to the thin line between survival and death– rely on Him alone for food, for water, for life itself.
Maybe the pandemic is our desert. And when our life feels like an out-of-control car, hydroplaning on a rain-slick highway, or banishment to the desert, God shows up for us just like he did for the Israelites. He comes through over and over, despite their unbelievable response to His gift of the Promised Land, and despite our own disbelief in his promises.
Ecclesiastes 8:7 says we don’t know what the future holds. Then why are we off-kilter when we have to endure uncertainty? Self-reliance pervades our being so deep we just can’t handle having no control. And if we don’t have trust in God’s control, the repercussions to our peace of mind weigh heavy and harmful.
So whether we are blinded by a downpour and bracing for a crash, or trudging through the desolation of a desert–Trust God who proves again and again in scripture and life,
He’s got this.
He’s got you.
Psalm 91:4-5 promises:
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
So make at least one resolution this year–Remember His promises.
And breathe deep as you pray–Please, God.
(PS- I was ok, and my car was mostly ok. I limped down the highway at half speed the rest of my journey, drove straight to a tire place that replaced two tires, and got my car back into alignment.)
Good Stuff Loree.
Thanks friend for your faithful encouragement! Crazy days!