In the quiet darkness of night, in the overwhelming chaos and heaviness of life, fear can grip you in it’s gut wrenching grasp. The report that comes back positive, the unknown future it holds, there is fear that completely buckles you at your knees. The unexpected knock at the door, the news that leaves you utterly broken inside, fear threatens to crush you.

Yet, that still quiet voice can be heard from within . . . “Fear Not”.

“Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.” Isaiah 35:4

“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” Isaiah 41:13

“And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

So in the quiet darkness of night, in the overwhelming chaos and heaviness of life, when fear threatens to grip you in it’s gut wrenching grasp . . . “Fear Not”. The report that comes back positive, the unknown future it holds, the fear that works to buckles you at your knees . . . “Fear Not”. The unexpected knock at the door, the news that leaves you utterly broken inside, the fear that comes to crush you . . . “Fear Not”.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10

Fear Not . . .

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Psalm 56:3

Growing up I was often reluctant to ask my Mom and Dad for things to the point that I would have my sister do the asking. The problem then became that a lot of the time she would not pose the “ask” correctly and I’d become frustrated with the outcome.

Sometimes I’ve reflected upon that in relation to the “asking” of my requests before God. Sometimes I fail to pose the “ask” correctly and then I’m frustrated with the results. Quite often I fail to ask believing it’s actually going to happen. I feel as though what I’m asking for is such a small detail that my Heavenly Father is more concerned with much larger aspects of the universe. Often, my requests are half hearted, failing to be clearly stated toward the listening ear of a Father that stands ready to hear from me.

In Matthew 17 we find the lack of faith exhibited by the disciples. “ Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:19-20

Our Heavenly Father has given us the gift of prayer, the opportunity to come before Him believing not only that He will hear but that He will answer. Not only do we possess the gift of prayer, we possess the power of prayer. With God, the “ask” is always answered correctly, it’s up to us to come before God knowing that He will answer.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

God stands ready to hear us, but He wants us to come before Him in boldness believing that He cares about our request and that He stands ready to answer. A half-hearted request is not of much importance, but a request that comes boldly from the heart of a child to their Father captures His attention.

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:21-22

We have been given His promise, let us with boldness grasp the gift we have been given.

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:6

Sundays are my favorite days. I have the opportunity to rest without feeling guilty, time to slow down a bit and enjoy the peace and quiet of the day. Time to see my church family and catch up on the events of their week. Time to sit back and enjoy an afternoon with my husband and son. But first and most of all, I have the ability to enter into the presence of my Heavenly Father in His house.

“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” 1 Chronicles 16:29

As I come before Him in worship in His house, I am able to experience a refreshing strengthening renewal of my soul that breaths new life within me after a long and stressful week. Through His word I am reminded of His commandments and His promises. I find strength, strength to once again face the struggles of life; new hope as I enter a new week.

“Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.”1 Chronicles 16:27

Even though I am able to experience His presence throughout the week in my life, it’s not the same as coming before Him on Sunday morning in His house. As I enter His presence in His sacred place set aside for worship, I feel as though I catch an ever so tiny glimpse of what it will be like one day when we stand in His presence in Heaven. I can’t even imagine what that will be like, but for now I am going to soak in the joy of experiencing Him together with my church family on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I am going to come into His presence with an ever so thankful heart !!!

“Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100:2-5

As a child I often thought about how small I was compared to God in the perspective of a board game with tiny pieces moved around the board by the masters hand. The difference becoming more apparent the longer I live that more times than not we act and move as if we were the ones controlling our next move. We act in the moment without thought or regard to how that one action, that one move affects the entirety of our life or the lives of others. We act as if we are in control, dependent only upon what we deem to be the most appropriate next move.

The reality is that we are completely and totally dependent upon the mercies of our Heavenly Father. Even though life is not a board game and He has given us free will to move, it is in recognizing our “unceasing dependence” upon Him that the next move, the next course of action for our life becomes the one that moves us toward His ultimate goal for our lives.

“O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23

“The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:24-26

As I look back over the various choices I have made, the moves I have taken, the ones I made on my own versus the ones directed by God are very evident. The more time that passes I realize more and more just how “unceasingly dependent” I am upon my Heavenly Father. Every decision I make affects the direction in which I move, either closer to God or farther away; closer to His plan for my life or farther away.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:6-7

“O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” Jeremiah 16:19

In a day when we see so many falling victim to the entrapment of this world full of lies and wickedness, we have a stronghold of hope. We have a place of refuge, an anchor when the storm is growing stronger all around us. We are able to stand firm, secured by the promise given to us by God in His Word that this world is not our home.

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast” Hebrews 6:19a

Our hope is anchored steadfast in the knowledge of what lies ahead, we have the promise of an eternal home in Heaven. We are not bound to the things of this life, our promise is above.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

We have an anchor that will stand fast as we travel through the storm, our master has promised to see us safely to the other side.

I am uncertain of so many things, but there is one thing I know . . . God is my Certainty !!! He knows my tomorrow, He knows the way, and I’m trusting in Him today !!

Proverbs 20:24 “Man’s goings are of the Lord ; how can a man then understand his own way?”

Psalm 31:14 “But I trusted in thee, O Lord : I said, Thou art my God.”

Today I will trust God to direct me and to guide me toward the path I need to take tomorrow.

Psalm 143:8 “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”

My Heavenly Father is my Certainty !!

When I reflect upon the new year ahead, I can not help but look back thinking of how I sat thus at the beginning of 2020 as did so many without any thought of what that year would hold. Having said that, I also can not help but think about the fact that although I do not know what my future holds in 2021 just as I did not in 2020, I do know the one who holds my future.

God brought me through 2020, taking care of each and every moment of every day. He guided my steps, protecting me along the way. So as I look toward 2021 and the uncertainties of what it will hold, I am at peace knowing God is in control. I need not try to figure it out or fret over what I need to do to prepare, He is already preparing the way before me, I just need to seek His face allowing Him to work in and through me.

“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:26-31

In looking toward 2021, I began to consider what God would have me focus on as the new year begins. For the past few years I have found Him directing me toward a specific word that I called my word of the year. Each year that word would help me as the chaos around me ensued, threatening my sanity. It helped me to remember the one I serve and the purpose toward which I am being directed. One year it was purpose, another year it was intentional, and to be perfectly honest I have no idea what my word for 2020 was as it has become somewhat of a blur.

This year though, God has given me the word “transformed” and my verse for the year is Romans 12:2; “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

In 2021, I desire to be “transformed” into a greater likeness of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I want Him to transform me into the servant, wife, mother, friend, mentor . . . that He would have me to be in 2021.

I want Him to transform all areas of my life, but in order to do that I need to spend time in His word seeking Him. I need to allow Him to renew my mind, removing all elements of this world.

Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

Ephesians 4:23-24 “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

We know not what the year ahead may hold for any of us, but I know the one that is able to transform each moment and each day into exactly what He intends. My prayer for 2021 is to be “transformed” that He may accomplish His will in and through my life.

What word might God be directing you toward ? Is it courage, joy, gratitude, hope ? So many words that He can give, each one a help to us as we seek to follow His direction. Instead of New Year Resolutions this year, what about selecting a word that you can focus on as you seek His will for you in 2021. I’d love to hear what word you select and why, we are all in this together.

How often have the words barely escaped my lips or the choice I made been regretted before it ever fully came to be? Moments when my heart sank within me as realization dawned that I had acted without careful consideration to what I was saying or doing.

Looking back upon those moments I know oh too well that I acted within my own prideful nature. I responded from a heart full of self, without regard to what my Lord would have had me say or do. In those moments I failed to embrace the wisdom found by humbling myself before God seeking His guidance and instruction.

“When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

So how do I obtain wisdom, how do I gain the ability to select my words more carefully or make choices aligned with what God would have me do? How do I embrace wisdom?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments : his praise endureth for ever.” Psalm 111:10

“For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee” Proverbs 2:6,10-11

Discretion, that’s what I need on a daily basis. I need the discretion to know when to speak and when to listen. I need discretion to know what to say when it’s time to speak and I need discretion to understand the right choice when decisions need to be made. This is found when I embrace the wisdom that comes by immersing myself in God’s word, spending time with Him, and allowing Him to instruct me. From my time spent with God I will gain knowledge and understanding, then and only then will I be able to possess wisdom. When I receive His instruction, I gain understanding that enables me to embrace wisdom.

“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” Colossians 1:9-10

Wisdom is to be sought after, to be embraced as a rare and true gift.

“For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.” Proverbs 8:11

The older I get the more I realize my own limitation of sight, both literally and figuratively. Within myself I do not possess the ability to see things clearly, for in fact I can not see beyond even the next second of time. That is limitation of sight !!

Even looking back upon the past my sight is limited by my own personal set of internal filters through which I view the past. The way I remember a situation can be quite different from the way someone else remembers the situation. We all bring our own feelings and inner perspective from different angles of personal experience as we view the past; however, God sees both the past and the future in perfect sight.

God sees both inward and outward the hearts and actions of all. He has perfect sight, without limitations. He knows what has happened and all that is yet to happen in perfect sequence of time. So why would I attempt to assess my way forward within the limitation of my own sight? Why do I insist on scoping out future events when my scope is completely out of focus? Why would I rely on my own understanding, knowing my limitations?

I need to look to God for He can clearly see beyond this moment of time all the way forward to eternity. He knows each step that I should take, each word that I should speak, and each thought that I should contemplate as I move toward the next moment of time. He alone should be the guiding force behind each decision that I make.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

One day my limitation of sight will be perfected when I meet my Savior face-to-face. In that moment I will see all things clearly as they were and as they will be.

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” I Corinthians 13:12

But for now, in the limitation of my sight I will trust in Him.

“Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee : because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3