GAP: God&autumn& His promises. Surfing on the waves of fear!

I think it is a brilliant idea to write and bless others if you have spare time which is rare in our busy 21 century! When you think about it, it shocking that we have so little spare time with all the technological and domestic progress going for us.

  The splendour of writing is this though: you never know who might read it around the glob and how it might touch them. Modern technology gives the writer immense potential and puts writing in a whole new dimension. So, with such a thought in mind I've embarked on this adventure.

I had a lot of ideas that were waiting to be put on the paper. What had happened in this time in my life? Not much and quite a bit.  We had two more children making it five in total. The Lord had opened up  the  doors for my husband to be involved in spiritually significant  ministry oversees. We had moved from lovely Sussex with its well-known Downs to flat, but friendly Suffolk.  Other mums knowing what is going on in my life  ask me: 'How do you manage five children and everything else?'  My answer always the same: 'How do you train for Olympics?' This doesn't happen over night, does it? A good tip that makes a huge difference is out things into right PERSPECTIVE.

 Once my husband pointed out that he would not be able to do what he does for the Lord is I didn't keep the fire going at home. This thought usually gives me second breath in time of stress or difficulty while he is away. The day will come when the Lord will gather His people from every tribe and nation to spend eternity with Him. Stuart Townend  penned this beautifully:

              With a shout You rose victorious,

               wrestling victory from the grave,

                and ascended into heaven

               leading captives in You wake.

               Now You stand before the Father

                Interceding for You own.

                 From each tribe and tongue and nation           

                 You are leading sinners home.        

  
 The knowledge of that worth every sacrifice and ever tear now. The Lord graciously and patiently builds up a believer DAILY, giving him DESIRE to grow spiritually so that one day he is ready to handle anything graciously sent by God his way…

Here is a good illustration to that:

Autumn had already arrived in Suffolk with its colder mornings and evenings, carrying variety of crops on its shoulders. But as I was pushing a double buggy, not feeling too well with a full-blown headache, a sore throat, extra tired due to my husband being in Tanzania, I felt rather sorry for myself.

 The air first thing in the morning was fresh and crisp, keeping me awake. I've dropped off my two older boys at school. As I was slowly making my way home, in the midst of this feel-not-too-good-at-all situation, suddenly such a pleasant feeling overwhelmed me. The Lord hadn't taken away my tiredness or sickness instantly, but out of compassion, He let me know that I'm in the right place, at the right time. He placed me here Himself. Such awareness was priceless. In that moment, I knew that my hands were full of 'GOOD THINGS' which will bear good fruit in His time.  To receive fullness that came from the hands of God is an amazing experience! There is nothing quite like it. These thoughts gave me new energy and desire to press on. I knew, no matter what might be offered to me instead of my busy-too tired-no freedom scenario, I would not wish to swap! The Lord gives strengths   exactly when you needed it the most, not 'five years in advance.'

Fear could be crippling, paralysing, such a powerful feeling towards unknown stops most brave out of us from receiving greatest blessings from the Lord. It is no wonder that the Lord required from Israelites to leave Egypt first, THEN He parted the sea; He asked the priests to step into the water of Jordan and THEN He had parted it. I had to learn this truth from the Scripture experientially: the Lord wants to see if believers are prepared to part with fear before He enables you and me to face challenges.

Our modern society is obsessed with knowing the future. Masses of people are onto personal star readings, horoscopes, any predictions by anything or anyone about the future, foolishly convinced that they can  do anything about it. Perhaps  in such a way they seek to suppress the giant fear of unknown. A Pharaoh of old, no matter how many start or gods he has consulted, could not do a thing about his own end, no can those  who don't lean on the Lord who had created heavens and the earth or His wisdom. This real God alone has all power over time, space & matter since He had created it. It is true that a lot of people in Western society don't believe that today. It is their right to be wrong. The Bible declares: 'A fool said in his heart that there is no God.' Sadly, this is partly true even for believers. Many of us doubt and fearful. As a mother I do struggle daily with fear over this or that. A friend who came to spend a weekend asked me: 'Do you have doubts/fears?' Of course, I do. The Lord never expects me not to, either. The right question would be: 'What do you do about your fears?' I deal with them, as they were weeds, by pulling them out one by one through prayer. Only then I am able to live victoriously through Christ who strengthens me. If I fail to pool my fears by the roots, I try harder next time, but I don't give up and don't let it mount up. This is our small part in God's big plan for our lives. If we fail to do it regularly, we have no one, but ourselves to blame. 

 The photo above goes back to the times when my husband was a surfer. I am not sure if he would be able to surf so confidently now  not being able to surf for many years! Skills normally demand a daily practice. At first, when you look at it, you might think: 'I would never be able to do that!' Personally, I've tried only once to surf.  And never had a desire to do it again: a massive wave came from behind by knocking me right down while surfboard hit me on the head. After drinking plenty of concentrated salty water, I came up and swam for my life. Fear got a tight grip on my desire to surf! That's o.k.  I am only missing out on intense rush of adrenaline (as my husband describes surfing in a nutshell) while sharks are seeking to get acquainted with me. But I haven't walked away from that experience with nothing to learn.

I've realized that if I want to succeed I must give it another try. I must defeat my fear or it will defeat me, eventually. This is especially applicable in a spiritual sense.

You know how some people like to read joke books. My kids do it all the time. Every time I open the Bible, I could find something so entertaining. I don’t need a joke book. God has the best sense of humour. Say for example, a passage where God had addressed Gideon, while he was hiding from the Philistines, a 'Man of valour'.  How hilarious  is that! God has a great sense of humour and He has a power to make any human a man of valour. I think both are true. His power is constant. Today any one who trusts in Him could have courage to surf the waves of fear in life confidently while standing on God's eternal promises: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the LORD.

                                 He is like a tree planted by water,

                                     that sends out its roots by the stream,

                                   and does not fear when heat comes,

                                                for its leaves remain green,

                                  and is not anxious in the year of drought,

                                         for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

                                                Jeremiah 17:7-8