"Fear not, for I am with You"

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned my temptation to fear this latest storm which made it's way through the Northeast USA.  Yesterday it rained cats and dogs and here, at my dad's, we lost power for several hours.  If that happened at my house, we would have been flooded.  But my husband texted me "power still on"--and the power came back on here and eventually the rain stopped without incident.  

And still I am struggling with decisions regarding my future and fears keep arising.  I listened to this song by the Afters yesterday for the first time (see prior post for the YouTube link to play the song)...Here (below) are the lyrics.

"Fear No More" by the Afters

Every anxious thought that steals my breath
It's a heavy weight upon my chest
As I lie awake and wonder what the future will hold
Help me to remember that You're in control

[Chorus]
You're my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You're my strength 'cause I'm not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord, I will fear no more

[Verse 2]
I will lift my eyes, I will lift my cares
Lay them in Your hands, I'll leave them there
When the wind and waves are coming, You shelter me
Even though I'm in the storm, the storm is not in me

[Chorus]
You're my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You're my strength 'cause I'm not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord, I will fear no more
(Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhhh) I will fear no more
(Oh-oh-oh-ohh, oh-oh-oh-oh-ohhhh) I will fear no more

 Look at this line:
Even though I'm in the storm, the storm is not in me
That is so profound.  We are in the midst of circumstances but we don't have to internalize the angst or the fear or the pain of the circumstance.  When we are IN CHRIST--we are out of the reach of these fears and worries.  They are powerless to steal our peace.

And I just heard a line that jumped out at me from a Switchfoot song "I Won't Let  You Go":
"Pain gives birth to the promise ahead "

What does pain accomplish in me in this regard?  The pain of anxiety, fear, worry---The birthing process is a going  through. It's a painful passage to a transition of a new life, new circumstances, more SPACE than our cramped womb, which we were rapidly outgrowing.  And it is only by our passage through this pain (and fear), that we will have access to the infinities of experiences in the outer world.   

And that same process repeats itself over and over...as we resist change; we fear uncertainty; we outgrow various environments where we felt warm and safe--and find it necessary to move on--through the discomfort--to a new place, a new reality. And it is through the challenges and disasters that can be so difficult and painful, that we grow and adapt to change and find ourselves one step more ready for our eternal habitation.  

Through this whole process, we grow deeper and deeper into the realization that we are HELD as we take wobbly step after step.  The hands of God have never let go of us.  And his provision is dependable and present in the most unlikely of places.  Right now our brothers and sisters in countries that are targeting Christians and imprisoning them and torturing and murdering them--they are held too.  And their passage is so much  more difficult, frightening and painful, yet they are learning that even there...EVEN THERE...the strong arms of God will never let go of them.  And God is preparing to bring them to a place of light and life.  A place of love and harmony...and it is the ultimate destination for all of us who are in Jesus.

I apologize for the meandering path that this post has taken...but I don't really want to edit that out because each paragraph leads to the next and each thought is relevant to the whole idea. 
I don't know what you are facing in your life...heartache, debt, physical pain, family problems, infertility, unemployment...God is bigger than all that. And though you are in the storm-the storm doesn't have to be in you.  Find your center in Y'shua.  Find your peace in Jesus.  Know that you have a Father who loves you more than you will ever grasp; and he WILL NOT let you go.