Sheer terror replaced anything I may have planned years earlier while draped over the couch, textbook in hand.
While on a dirt path, deep in the forest, I came nose-to-toe with a copperhead snake. His nose. My toe. But I was not some rank amateur. No siree. Girl Scouts and first aid courses had trained me on how to respond: Remain calm. No loud noises. No sudden moves.
So what did I do? What any self-respecting city girl would do. I panicked. I screamed. I turned and ran for my life. So much for being prepared.
God’s pleas beckon us from the pages of Scripture: Come to Me … Call upon Me … Seek Me first … Take My yoke … learn from Me … Be anxious for nothing … Give your requests to God … Fix your eyes on Jesus ….
God’s promises follow each plea: … and I will give you rest … I will answer … I will show you…and all these shall be added to you … and you will find rest for your soul … and the peace of God shall guard your hearts and minds ... so you may not grow weary or lose heart.
One day, without warning, God may call us to experience a crisis we’ve only read about or watched others experience—one that’s frightening, humiliating, devastating, shocking, overwhelming, or heart-breaking. A temporary setback or a life-changing disaster. A private struggle or a public nightmare.
We can read self-help manuals or stories of saints who’ve overcome. We can plan, prepare, and preach on “Ten Steps to Handling Adversity.” But until we face that difficult life situation head-on, we won’t know what our gut reaction will be. Will I turn to God or to self? To God or another person? To God or another source—such as alcohol, anger, seclusion, fear?
Whenever we come nose-to-toe with life’s challenges, why not respond to God’s gracious offer and run into the ever-present arms of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Protector, our Refuge, our Rock.
Run to the Rock, and watch your worries slither away.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Sandi Banks is an author and speaker who is on faculty with Carol Kent’s Speak Up conferences. She invites you to visit her ministry site at www.anchorsofhope.com.