For I am with you……

Fear not

for I am with you

Be not dismayed for I am your God

I will strengthen you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

For I am with you, what a loving truth that our Heavenly Father speaks to us his children that eternally reigns true whether we recognise it or not. He is always there and promises to never to leave us but what makes me doubt this to be true? Fear. The truth that our Heavenly Father never leaves us nor forsakes us illuminates to me that fear has deceptive way of clouding our vision to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

All the way back to beginning of our story when the enemy of our souls tempted Adam and Eve and deceived them to the point that they were unaware that God was with them as a ever present help against all fears.

Deceptive storms of all kinds do this, cloud our perception to a truth that God is always with us and ultimately has the final say, for He is the Alpha and the Omega. One of the ways that reminds me of this is when I look to His created earth and all I see on most days of the year as I live in England are grey cloudy days, but I know in my heart that whether it is a grey day or dark night the sun still shines brightly as God has purposed. Shining fourth continuously rays of invisible light whether I see it or not reminding me that things are not always as they seem, and my perception of events are not all there is to it, the encouraging wise words written in Proverbs attest to this:

Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

Provers 3: 5-7

I am reminded of the event that happened when Jesus led the disciples to the other side of the water and went with them but took some much needed rest on the way. A storm comes threatening to end their lives and they were very much afraid but Jesus questions them: “why are you afraid ye of little faith? (Matthew 8:26),  In Luke’s account it is written where is your faith?(Luke 8:25)

When I came across those words where is your faith? it unveiled furthermore where have you put your faith or in other words your trust? Is it in the storm, the boat, the seas, yourself, your own ability, your own sight or rightly in your Heavenly Father who created the earth, the seas and all that fills it.

I am reminded that my trust should and always be in Jesus Christ alone, not what I see, understand or feel but in the eternal living all powerful Heavenly Father who loves me and casts out all fears, who speaks and things come to place, who is Life and has conquered death once and for all.

“Peace be still”

Mark 4:39

To conquer the storm Jesus speaks the words Peace! Be still (Mark 4:39. Sometimes we mistake peaceful restfulness for absence but I am learning that our Heavenly Father who is Love, all powerful and all mighty is also all peaceful, all gentle and at complete rest all at the same time and with His peace He stills the storms. This is the nature of our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, He is perfect love that cast out fear, He is the light that ceases darkness, He is grace that is all sufficient, He is life that conquers death, He is the truth that sets you free, He is the truth the way the life, He is the true vine, He is the bread of life, He is the door, He is the resurrection and the life.

It is the lies that have to rage and roar with nothing at its roots that try to get us to doubt His truth and who He is resulting in fear.

So I am realising and hopefully you can too that this journey on earth though met with daily storms of some kind, is not the absence of a loving Heavenly Father but a journey with Him who has already gone before us and better yet has placed His own spirit within us to carry us through each storm by His grace and love to Him be the glory.

He only asks of us to continue putting our trust in Him, leaning on Him as the true one who carries us through to the other side. Who has already in Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for us to partake in His victory against all the raging deceptive storms along the journey. In which we are invited to rest in Him forever more and fear not for He has already declared:

“I am with you”.

Grace and peace always,

Florence

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