Following God’s plan seemed easy at first, because of the excitement associated with a new adventure.  Then, I came to a fork in the road, where one path was wide open and easy and the other was less travelled and a little scary.  Though I could have gone in either direction, I did something far more dangerous and did what Peter did when he tried to reach Jesus by walking on water.  He knew Jesus had told him to come, yet when confronted with the waves, the wind, and the darkness along with the sheer audacity of what he was trying to do, he did the one thing Jesus confronted him about and that was doubt.  Jesus didn’t ask him, why was he afraid or why he took his eyes off him, he asked, “Why did you doubt?”   Doubt, according to the Greek translation means stopping when presented with a choice and just like Peter when I stopped, I began to sink.  Not quickly mind you, but gradually.  My focus immediately turned to the waters below me and God’s plan became a distant memory.

By stopping, I became vulnerable for the enemy to attack and devour.  1 Peter 5:8 tells us to Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  He is keen and ready to pounce if given the chance, to make you question your direction, to tear your faith to shreds and cause you to fear the darkness and the shadows.  The shadows are always the worse for me.  I remember as a child lying in bed staring at the open door to my closet, and knowing there were things behind those shadows ready to jump out at me.  Fear consumed me and it wasn’t until I called for my parents to close the door that I could begin to rest.  Even today I fear the shadows.  It’s not the boogeyman, but the anxiousness of life, worrying over finances, my health,  and my relationships.  All of this makes the problem larger than it should be.  I found myself lying awake at night listening to the sound of my husband’s breathing worried over things I couldn’t control.  Until one morning…

It had been a rough couple of days of worry, doubt and fear and I felt the need to get out of the house for awhile, so I grabbed my walking stick and headed out the door. It wasn’t long before tears welled up in my eyes and I began to pray, pleading for help.  I couldn’t go on like this much longer as the shadows crowded around me, and then, piercing through the darkness, He spoke, “Think about those things that are lovely” and God met me there on that road the same way he met Peter on the lake.  As he extended His hand to Peter, He extended His Word to me.  Philippians 4:8-9 says, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me~practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.  Lovely doesn’t mean the English definition of beautiful, it means qualities a friend would exhibit towards you.  It took me awhile to get my thoughts around such things because of where my mind was at the time, but when I did, I began to see Jesus.  He is the greatest friend we could ever have and has extended kindness to me in ways unimaginable for He is the loveliest of all, the truest, the purest, the most honorable and the most just.  He is the most commendable, the most excellent and HE, King Jesus, is worthy to be praised.

Jesus was waiting there all along to lift me out of the water, but I couldn’t see Him because I was focused on the fear and anxiety brought on by the darkness around me.  Once I looked up to my friend, Jesus, I could reach for the peace that would drive all fear and anxiety away and be placed on solid ground and begin to walk towards the plan He had given me.  I can still hear my grandmother singing the old hymn My Hope is Built  on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.  Knowing God’s plan and  trusting God’s plan are two different things.  When Edward Mote wrote the words “sweetest frame”, he understood that relying on oneself and our version of God’s plan was sinking sand.  I had heard his calling to move in a particular direction but I was trying to control what that looked like, instead I should have been leaning totally on Jesus and the power of His name.

I love the scripture in Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trust in you.  Don’t we all desire to have perfect peace?   It doesn’t mean that we will be free of trouble in this life but the peace that only comes from God will sustain us through those times.  The key to this perfect peace is to keep our minds stayed on Him, and how do we do that?  Stayed means to stick or remain with to the end, so we should never release our thoughts or our being to anything else other than Jesus.   The only way to do that is to know Him intimately through time spent in studying the Word of God and prayer. We can go to church everyday and listen to the sermon but if we aren’t digging deep and experiencing God in a powerful and personal way, then how could we ever know true peace in our life.   If you have been struggling in the plan God has for your life, ask yourself if you have really trusted Him or are you still trying to control the plan He has for you.  If so, then begin to trust Him by remaining in Him and thinking on Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of Jesus and the salvation He brings.  It is only through Him that we can know perfect peace.  Please forgive me for stopping along the way in the plan you have for my life.  Teach me your way as I draw closer to you through the study of your Word.  Your grace is sufficient for me and I praise you all the days of my life.  Yours, Wendy