Our flight to St. Louis was fairly pleasant. We hit one air pocket that led me to pray out loud for the entire group of 8 (including the two pilots) and after that it was smooth sailing. We made a friend on the flight who was more scared than I was and she really appreciated the prayer. And our landing was exceptional. I was so relieved and so thankful. We headed into our vacation and had a restful and peaceful time. Each time a bit of fear about our returning flight popped up I would kick it to the curb and focus on having a great time with Taylor.
The truth is, I used to be scared most of the time. From the time I was a child until about 10 years ago, I lived in fear. I was scared of all kinds of things. I would list all of them but I probably could not remember them all. Even as an adult I would check every crook and crevice to make sure that we were safe. If Taylor had a dime for every time I would wake him up in the middle of the night because of a sound in the house he would be wealthy. The fear could not be pinpointed to specific things that I was scared of-I was afraid of most things. It was a miserable way to live.
Then the Great Shift happened. To put into words, I think I began to know God as bigger. Instead of a history book about a good man, I began to realize that God is real and that he not only cares about my life but that He choses to be apart of my life. In that I realized that I didn't have to be scared, because I am never alone and the King of Angel Armies is with me. I knew things had changed one night when we really did have a prowler on our street. Neighbors were looking and watching and one of my greatest fears was practically knocking at the door. The song "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" came to mind. I stood at my window and sang through the song. And then, I laid down in the bed and went fast asleep. The next day I was totally amazed. I have not been the same again.
And THEN we boarded the plane to head back home. The pilot announced we would have a bumpy flight before we ever took off. I immediately began refuting those words--aloud. I just knew that that flight was going to be smooth. Guess what? It was the roughest, bumpiest flight I have ever been on (including one broken down African plane that looked like it flew in World War II). To say that I prayed is truly an understatement. If I had videoed myself I could have gotten a million hits on Youtube. My whole body was shaking in fear and my husband said he needed prayer because I squeezed his fingers so hard. I was down right afraid. But this time I leaned into the Lord. About mid-flight we settled down to a smoother flight and Taylor pried my fingers off his hand. As I relaxed I began to watch the river. And then I began to write notes about rivers.
Rivers bring life and provide life.
They transport goods and necessities.
They nourish the land for the crops.
They are fun and provide entertainment.
They provide substance and beauty.
People come to rivers,
build near rivers,
plant near rivers,
and play in rivers.
Rivers are mighty and powerful.
I then I was reminded that the Bible says, "Whoever believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7:8 This river that I was seeing was a picture of what is flowing through us as believers. Amazing!
And I would like to say the descent was better, the clouds parted and we floated effortless to the runway. But we did not. We bumped and jumped around all the way down. In fact, the descent was worse than the ascent. But my thoughts had a new focus. I was considering the river that flows through us. It changed my prayers. I actually became aware of other scared people on board and began to pray for them as well.
Because of Whose we are, we Christians are like that river. We bring life and provide life. We bring things that people want and need. We nourish. We are fun. We bring sustenance and beauty into this world. People come to us. We are mighty and powerful.
Thinking back, it is not surprising that these thoughts changed my prayers. God became bigger and our flight became smaller. It did not become more pleasant a flight--but my perspective changed.
I do not desire to ever return to a life of fear. God does not desire us to be bound to anything other than himself. And life with Him brings freedom. So if there is something that is standing in our way, causing us to live a life less than the best option, we need to think about the river that is flowing through us. One children's song says, " I have a river of life flowing out of me. Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. Opens prison doors and sets the captives free. I've got a river of life flowing out of me." Our lives can and do make a difference. And it is when we walk in the identity that we have been given that we go from flying to soaring!
No comments:
Post a Comment