Spelling II...Only Believe!

Adventures in spelling, Part II! Well, spelling continues to be my 9 year old's arch nemesis...and consequently my arch nemesis as well! This afternoon, I had one of those sifting moments and felt overcome by discouragement and anxiety. As so often happens, it all began with something relatively minor, like a grade in spelling, but then snowballed into a morass of anxiety and self-condemnation. Why can't he do better on a spelling test morphed into thoughts of what it would be like for a 18 year old to still be in 3rd grade and what a terrible mother I must be and, by the way, why is my house so cluttered and why can't I be a better cook, friend, wife...and on and on.

But here is progress: instead of continuing to indulge in my pity party, I went into the living room by myself and opened God's Word and listened to what He says is true rather than my overblown, self-indulgent imagination. Here is what I read: "My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19 All your needs--spelling, mothering, housekeeping--not some, not most, not the most pressing, not even the vast majority, but all. I like that word "all!" And when the Lord of the Universe says all, well, then you can bet your bottom dollar on it!

Then I read that I am to "rejoice in the Lord always...Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:4-7. You know, we all know that verse, but if you are half as forgetful as me in moments of stress, you need to be reminded again and again! Again, look at all those words like don't be anxious about "anything" and pray about "everything." Doesn't leave much room for hand-wringing anxiety and mind-numbing fear. I can either take it to my heavenly Father, with thanksgiving, and then trust that He has it or I can keep hanging onto that heavy burden of discouragement and worry. What a choice--yet how often do I make the ludicrous decision to drag that oppressive burden along rather than trustingly hand it to Him?!

Finally I read about "His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms..." Eph. 1:19-20. Now that is power! Is your problem greater than that of raising someone from the dead? We have so many dear friends facing very hard challenges--lost jobs, lost health, lost children. For some of us it may be lost hope or lost strength or lost love.

But God can raise the dead and that "incomparably great power" to raise the utterly dead to life is available to every single one of us who believe! That which is lost can be found and restored...maybe not in the way we planned or imagined but, we can trust, in the ultimately best and perfect way.

Just as I was reading these verses, my husband (who at the same time had been stressing over finances) came in and shared that he had been praying God would give him a word of encouragement for both of us. He had just read this verse on a little plaque in our bathroom: "Be not afraid, only believe." Mark 5:36 But here's the context of this wonderful verse: Jairus, the synagogue ruler, has come to Jesus and asked him to come to his house to heal his desperately ill young daughter. But while they are on their way to Jairus' home, some men sadly inform him that his daughter has died so he need not "bother" (ridiculous concept since we can never "bother" Jesus when we bring Him our heartaches and concerns) Jesus anymore.

"Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, 'Be not afraid, only believe.'" Wow! What do you, what do I, need to "ignore" today? Ignore our doubts. Ignore our fears. Ignore our past failures. Ignore those voices within us that would condemn and discourage us. Ignore our failed self-sufficiency. Ignore what the world says. Ignore our fear.

Only believe.

And then Jesus went and raised Jairus' little daughter from the dead. That is "incomparably great power!"

Only believe the One who raises the completely dead to new life. Believe the One who resurrects dead hopes to new life. Believe the One who transforms plain water into new wine, who heals hopeless disease and gives new health, who changes hardened bitter hearts into new and vibrant and living ones. Believe the One who creates the galaxies out of nothing, who feeds multitudes out of a few sardines and a couple of rolls, and who defeated the powers of sin and death by dying on a Roman cross. Believe the One who rose from the dead to new life so that one day we, too, might enjoy abundant eternal life forever.

So whatever you are going through right now, Jesus gently but firmly speaks to you: "Be not afraid, only believe." For behind that belief is the One whose incomparably great power raised the dead to new life. He will bring that power to bear in your life as well--He promised. And you can stake your life on every single one of His promises. To Him be all the glory.