I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN!

Psalm 16

“I will praise the Lord, Who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” 16:7-8 – from Aunt Juli

On Sunday, February 4, Joel and I bowed before God at church services and dedicated ourselves to seek Him first in all we do, to trust in Him, and know that He will guide us.  Since then, we have been putting that into practice. In every decision that needs to be made, every trouble that arises, every joy that is found, we have tried to put God’s name first in our hearts.  The miracles that have happened have been amazing. For example, the Wednesday morning after that Sunday I woke up with a splitting headache. I immediately went to the medicine cabinet and popped a couple of ibuprofen.  This was on instinct and I didn’t really think anything about it until about 20 minutes later when I began to cramp in my abdomen. It started out small but the pain rapidly grew and within 15 more minutes I was doubled over in so much pain that I didn’t think I could walk from my bathroom to my bed, much less go to school and teach.  I remembered what Joel and I had committed to and I immediately starting asking God to heal me. I tried to think through the pain and I had some relief but my mind couldn’t stay focused, so I called Joel in from the kitchen, where he was making breakfast for everyone, and had him lay his hands on me and ask for healing. I really began to feel relief then.  Once he knew I was feeling better, he went back to cooking and I continued to get ready even though there was still some pain. As I was making my bed, I kept saying, “God help me with my unbelief.” I said it over and over again and within 2 more minutes my pain was absolutely GONE! Not even a trace of pain was there. The relief was so sudden and so miraculous that I had a hard time processing it.  I just kept taking long wonderful breaths and moving and twisting my body to make sure that it really was gone. I was in awe that entire day and could not stop thinking about it. My God healed me – instantaneously and miraculously!

This past week I have had a different kind of pain.  Grief, severe grief, has resurfaced.  We are facing our family becoming smaller once again.  It is coming close to the time for the Shackelford children, who we have had custody of since October, to begin the transition of moving back with their mother.  While God has told me that I need to let them go, the pain of loss is settling back in my heart.  And in those moments of agony and despair, I cry out to God and He replenishes me.  While those moments feel broken and splintered, I know that I will be put back together because my God has proven to me that He will keep me strong, He will sustain me.  And so…

The words in the scripture above ring true. I WILL praise Him. I WILL keep my eyes always on the Lord. And, I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN!!!