It does not take much for our minds to latch onto lowly doubt. However, Abba’s hands have the gentle ability to lift our hanging heads and direct us to the rising sun of hope.
Sometimes, Satan likes to take a funny story and try and trick us into thinking the conclusion will be dreadful. Recently, I was dog sitting Po, an asthmatic Pug, and Maverick, a loving German Shepard. Maverick grew overly excited and took me out from behind. My leg got a lil’ scraped up and my foot ached a lil’ bit, but it was seemingly no big deal. That was until I woke up the next morning with a swollen foot and a sinking feeling.
I was ridden with anxiety. Part of me had convinced myself that my foot couldn’t have been broken – I was walking on it the day before. However, the other part of my mind was swayed by Dr.Google. I called my IRL doctor to explain my symptoms and ask about a possible x-ray, in which she responded, “you may not be going on this trip after all.” My heart felt like it had fallen out of my chest. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as her words echoed in my mind. Thankfully, I felt a soft tug at my chin (metaphorically, of course). God told me to listen to the song “Do It Again” by Elevation Worship.
“Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You’ve never failed me yet”
God was using this song to point me back to the reality of his hope and away from Satan’s deception. After these words rung through the car speakers, I realized where I was going wrong in this situation. My mind was thinking in the natural. Even when I was trying to be positive in saying my ankle couldn’t have been broken, I wasn’t basing it off his promises. This was in his hands. I felt an overwhelming peace come over me as I felt Abba’s sun of hope shining on my face.
My mom and I prayed over my foot and asked for my squad-mates to pray as well. By the time I got into the doctor’s office my foot was no longer swollen! I was almost embarrassed getting an x-ray at this point because the pain had decreased significantly and there was no longer any swelling to be seen. On a lighter note, I got to share with the x-ray tech about my mission trip and our conversation bore so much fruit. In the end, the x-ray was clear and I just ended up with a piece of paper that had a fancy name for bruising on it, a funny story to tell, and, most importantly, a victorious moment of healing thanks to Jesus.
Embrace has been the defining word for this season of my life. I have found myself simply just embracing the chaos, who I am in Jesus, and the unknowns. I have been chasing the sunny freedom that is found with our Lord and his promises rather than allowing my eyes to stay locked in on muddy worry and anxiety.
