Women Arise: Leave it to God
There are moments in life that are so traumatic that the pain penetrates every recess of your mind and body and moves like a living, breathing entity. Your emotive response to the experience lingers in a timeless freeze frame fashion, and like a voyeur, you can go back and still be overcome by the circumstances of the tragedy.
You know experientially that it was in those very moments that you discovered who God is to you and how strong and binding your relationship is with Him. I graciously ask: Do you know what your default mode is when the rug is unexpectedly pulled out from under? After the initial shock, do you lie stunned, angry, or paralyzed and blame God, or do you eventually and ultimately turn to Him for the recovery?
I went through a decade of recurring sorrow and loss, which included the shock that entered my soul upon hearing the news that my son had taken another man’s life while driving drunk. As the days tirelessly pursued me, and the numbness encroached upon me, I struggled with what the future held. But I also remember the comfort that enraptured me as the fog began to lift, my mind consciously clinging to God’s promises: He loves me. He is a good Father. He holds the future.
The truth is, when you’re drowning, there’s nothing left to do but surrender to your rescuer. Sadly, I knew intellectually what it meant to cling to Jesus – it’s a much different vibe to do it.
Amid my sorrow, I was on the phone with a Christian friend and numbly stated that I believed God was in control, and He would see us through and use it for His glory. I was mindlessly talking to her– but mostly to myself. I had no idea what the future looked like at that moment. I was just parroting scriptures that I had memorized over the years about my God. I taught Bible study for over 20 years, and if nothing else, in that moment, I was about to realize that the Bible had taught me even more:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psalm 119:11
Even though the words coming out of my mouthseemed antithetical to the fear in my heart, they were the biblical foundation upon which I fell.
My friend compassionately listened, then gave me what I knew was a sincere effort at a reality check. She stated that I needed to just focus on getting my son through prison. Translation: Stop assigning a higher purpose to this horrific situation. It startled me and felt contrary to everything I had been taught about God.
I knew from prior tragedies that the God of comfort always shows up. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18). I just had to remind myself of it.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
In Deuteronomy 32:10, God states the Israelites were “the apple of His eye.” The apple of the eye is the pupil. The reflex that covers the eye is the quickest in the body. When danger comes toward your face, your eye will close in 1/10,000th of a second. That is the speed at which the Lord protects His children.
Our Father is determined to make us women of faith. And He will put us in situation after situation where our faith must be exercised. If we have a heart for God, know God's history, and are being heard by God in prayer, we can move in great faith. We can rely on His covering during times of great trouble. Leave it to God.
In my distress, I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple, he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psalm 18:6
PRAYER
Oh Father, we cry out to You as the one who hears our prayers, confident that our cries reach Your ears. And today, we cry out for those whose burdens feel weightier and more impossible than ever. Come even closer to the broken-hearted and crushed in spirit. Amen.
Andrea Maher is the former editor-in-chief of PARENT ABC’S, a monthly magazine. Her writings have been featured in local newspapers and parenting publications nationwide. She writes a monthly blog, Women Arise, for Soldiers for Faith Ministries. She is the author of SLAMMED: Overcoming Tragedy in the Wave of Grief, and her newly released book, “LETTERS TO MY SON: Solely a God-Story” is available through Amazon.
She is the executive director of the Be Still Foundation, a ministry that disseminates hope and encouragement to families in crisis. She has been married to her husband John for 50 years and has four children and 12 grandchildren, with another expected in the spring. You can listen to Andrea’s MARKINC Help & Hope story: Surviving a Tsunami of Grief, and her son, Matt’s Help & Hope Story: One Wrong Decision Can Change Everything.
Link to Andrea’s Help & Hope interview https://markinc.org/help-and-hope/2018/4/19/breaking-free-from-the-tsunami-of-grief-a-conversation-with-andrea-maher?rq=andrea%20maher
For more from Andera, visit:
https://www.bestillfoundation.org/blogs?author=5f8b589c3a10846d623672ff
Reprinted from www.bestillfoundation.org with permission from Andrea Maher
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
