A re-post on trusting G_d when tired and disoriented… I need this often.
In time of trouble go not out of yourself to seek for aid; for the whole benefit of trial consists in silence, patience, rest, and resignation. In this condition divine strength is found for the hard warfare because God himself fights for the soul.
~Miguel de Molinos (1628-1696)
Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.
~Joyce Meyer
And just a few hours later, this writer was standing in the Carrefour (think Walmart super-center with cheaper goods) yesterday, here in the traffic-choked, currency-inflated, Rhamadhan-reeling, humidity-soaked Puri Indah zone of the western part of the Jakarta Capital Region of Java in Indonesia.
Having misplaced my beloved wife, sweating from a fever, fatigued, nauseated, and simply tired of not being able to understand most of what i was hearing and reading… A little tiny bit of me started to panic and lash out at the avalanche of changes.
It was the moment that absolutely will happen with any cross-cultural worker, educator or missionary.
Just for a minute… It is not fun any more. Not one little bit. This writer has been through this another time on another continent. And that episode was not so easily traversed. For in that place some 20 years ago, i had not learned the bedrock truth that HE was still with me. And Jesus trumps culture shock and tropical viruses :).
In the past, I thought I just had to lay there and breathe. But thankfully now, i realize that He is my breath – and that makes all the difference.
So, i went home, finished some chores, got in the Word, prayed with my wife, and slept for a bunch of hours… Got up, ate, prayed, got in His Word, and went back to sleep… Then i did the same thing again, resting my physical and mental frame as He led me by His Spirit. He refilled my tanks as i slept and dreamed and sweat and tossed and turned. Jesus knows exactly how to navigate any issue that comes our way. He is an absolute expert at everything! And so, thankfully, there is no need for protracted panic over all the things that can go wrong overseas.
Nah, He’s got it.
This writer went to Bible college a very long time ago. And it was very much worth the trip. But, i am convinced that most of my Bible education can be condensed down into the following wisdom:
> G_d is really big
> He is really strong
> He is REALLY Loving
> He is really able to handle everything
> He cares about my problems more than i do.
And in knowing these things to be true, we come to Love Him with the whole spectrum of our being. We Love Him in spirit for we are one in Him. We Love Him in soul for we are mated therein. And we Love Him in body as we pour out the sacrifices of praise He provides for us to give. We Love Him this way because He first Loved us this way… But we also Love Him this way simply because He is so lovable. The Grace He gives to take us through any situation is so real.
So, beloved, are you facing a tough time? Can one veteran promise you something? He is with you. He cares, and He Loves you oh so very much! As you become saturated in your situation, know – really KNOW – that as wet as you feel, your circumstances simply cannot wash away His presence in your life.
