Courage for a New Story
"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." Proverbs 16:9
Planning
In complete honesty, this scripture has been tough for me in certain seasons. It has triggered something painful inside me. “Plans.” That’s the first word. Planning anything feels awful after significant loss. It doesn’t feel right to plan for quite some time.
Layers of healing began to take place and my heart began to dream again. Big dreams. Dreaming again is a good thing. It also ushered in another season where this scripture cut me deep. I mustered up enormous courage to dream and desire; then I came to grips with a reality that was tough to swallow. The LORD establishes my next steps. What will He reveal? What will He allow? What will He choose to protect me from seeing? Are the steps dangerous or safe? My many fears were highlighted. It was time to decide whether or not I would trust Him as shepherd in my valley.
A New Story
Over time I began to believe for myself that God wanted to write a new story for my body to experience. I believe it for you too. This new story requires courage. Courage to trust. Courage to wait. Courage to walk in step with the Spirit leading; not ahead of Him and not behind. Just as Moses didn’t want to step without the presence of God leading (Exodus 33), this becomes our greatest desire too.
Rebuilding trust in God is a completely normal experience post-trauma. It’s what I believe is most broken by the sin and heartache in our stories. Our deepest wounds are the lies we believe about God because of the experience we have walked through. The box we had God in may be dismantled, but that does not indicate that God is no longer loving, good, and worthy of being trusted. The same Gospel that is true on our best days is also true on our worst. God is a promise keeper. His Word is True. He is faithful and He is consistent.
Engaging the Process
The LORD establishes our steps. This means that we let go. We let go of knowing what tomorrow holds. We let go of knowing what next month holds. We hold onto something more beautiful. We hold His hand. Our Good Shepherd leads the way. He lights the path. On the days we question His guidance, we choose trust. We choose trust again and again. Our faithful God will lead us where our heart longs to be.
In the words of Corrie Ten Boom, “When Jesus takes your hand, He keeps you tight. When Jesus keeps you tight, He leads you through your whole life. When Jesus leads you through your whole life, He brings you safely home.”
So what is actually happening beneath the surface when fear begins to rear its ugly head? Fear is a physiological response in our body. It signals that something doesn’t seem safe and potential danger is near. Timothy Jennings explains how fear is processed in the brain in the beginning chapters of his book, The God-Shaped Brain. Fear activates a part of the brain that can impair logical thinking and reasoning over time. The domino effect can lead to thoughts such as, "God, now that I believe you are against me, I'm scared. I'm afraid of you and I can't trust you to watch out for me, so I have to take care of myself." These thought patterns will lead us toward inward living, survival of the fittest mentality, and powering through life rather than resting in the arms of our Father.
Fear actually communicates something incredibly valuable. It is necessary that we learn to lean in here. Fears are telling us what we believe about God, our neighbor, and ourselves. In a Jennie Allen podcast I heard Jamie Winship give testament to incredible stories of God showing up in extremely hostile settings. Jamie says, “If we did know everything that was going on, it wouldn’t scare us. It would give us peace.” If we knew the bigger picture, we would have a deep understanding of all the ways God is indeed with us and He is fighting for us.
Running toward fear may look and feel like risk. If we exchange our survival of the fittest reaction for a reaction that says, “I choose to trust God,” it will require great courage. We begin to operate differently with this exchange because we are learning to depend on things that are actually unseen. Will we engage in the process? Will we exchange fear for expectation? Will we believe that we will see God move? Will we choose trust?
The decision to take our Father’s hand is humble and wise. We surrender to His design for our lives and grow deep roots by remaining. When our body reacts as if potential danger is near, we speak the truth. In His grip is the safest place we could ever be.
LORD, establish our steps. Let us move in step with the Spirit because we know “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” Psalms 37:23-24
Prayer
Thank you God that you are gracious. Thank you for going before us. Thank you that you not only establish our steps but you speak a steadfast and consistent word over the way we should go. Your plans may feel scary and they may feel risky. What we want more than anything else is to remain in your presence. We want your will for our lives today and in the days ahead. Where you lead, we will follow. Amen.
Worship
Fear is not my Future by: Brandon Lake + Chandler Moore
Love,
