I love this verse because it is a command of God that I need to remind myself of every day and even moment by moment! It is a beautiful pep talk direct from our Father in Heaven! A huge hug from Heaven to us.
I don't know if your life is like mine, but let me assure you, I have an abundance of opportunities to fear and be dismayed every day I live! If you read my blog post from Thursday, I discussed the Devil Among Us, he indeed lies in wait to trip us up in our faith, belief, and trust in God. For me, it happens so quickly and subtly that I find myself in the depths of despair so easily!
How quickly I forget this beautiful Promise of God - "Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." God is WITH me everywhere I go!! I think this needs to be a plaque on my wall, in my car, on my phone! I should set several reminders on my phone to remind me of this Promise as when the attacks, trials, and tribulations hit, how quickly I lose sight of this truth and become fearful and dismayed!
I was just praying to God in bed, telling Him, I don't want to get up and face another day and the trials that come with it! I lamented to Him how I feel so defeated, so stupid in the decisions I have made, and how overwhelmed I feel by those choices I made. I asked Him to show me what was going to happen here in the near future as finding a tenant is proving to be harder as the Travel Nurse industry is shifting and adjusting, sadly in the wrong direction for me! I need that rental income to help supplement my income and without it, I won't last long in my mind!
But God! He is the One who sees me, He knows what I am facing, He knows everything about me, He knows my financial need, my fears, my hopes, and my dreams. He Knows! I love Psalm 139 and I am sure you will hear me repeat that Psalm over and over again because it is what I have to remind myself of so often - He is the One Who Sees Me and He Knows Me! Even before I pray my discouraging prayers, He has already begun to answer - I just need to be patient and wait! Trust, hope, and faith must be mustered up by reminding myself of everything God has done for me and that He will do it again! Oh how quickly I sometimes forget this Truth!
God is with me - Lord I pray that sinks into my soul, my mind, and my heart! This whole fear and anxiousness because I have not found a renter is leading me to re-evaluate whether or not buying this house was the right thing to do. Isn't it typical that when things start to get hard or not work the way we thought they would, fear and doubt start to creep in? At least for me it does, don't know about you. I begin feeling like here I go again, "doing what seems right in my own eyes" because I face a little setback or trial. Those old tapes start to play in my head - "I convinced myself God was with me but since it's not working out as I planned, I must have deceived myself" and soon I have played right into the hands of the Devil who tries to convince me I am stupid or maybe, you really aren't a Christian? Thankfully, Holy Spirit wakes my mind up and encourages my heart with scripture, song, or encouraging words of a friend. Today, it was this scripture, a gentle but loving reminder to be strong, be courageous, do not be frightened, God is WITH ME!!! A Kiss from Heaven to me this morning! I hope this encourages you as it has me!
Side note: My Podcast is called Get Real with Tracy because I share from my heart the real-life things God has taught me or is in the process of teaching me. I hope to be broadcasting soon on YouTube and through Podcast avenues! Just getting all the equipment and room setup for this so won't be too much longer. I hope if you find my musings helpful and encouraging, you will follow me and subscribe to my newsletter which will come out weekly starting next week! Also, watch for my book coming soon, it's in the editing process!