“Fear not”, is the catchphrase of my moments, ever since I listened to an Ocean Grove sermon on Joshua chapter 1. In the moments after that Sunday service, I was able to share the short 30 second version of the “rescue” of Jesus to me sinking in fear that occurred a few times in my life now – I did not share the causes (especially because they are not relevant now, THANK GOD) but shared the RESCUE reality, the feeling of that recovery, that realization that Jesus is ALWAYS with us.
Most importantly, I try to revisit the saving feeling NOT the sinking feeling. I also remember to describe the rescue not the reasons for the sinking because that is like dredging up old stuff that especially I don’t need to dredge up for myself nor make gossip for those times in my life that I have now moved on from. Share Jesus rescue experiences, not the causes, at least not in a 30 second meet and greet. In other times, sure – when it is pertinent. Jesus saves are ALWAYS pertinent.
“FEAR NOT” as in Joshua, Joshua 1, the is Lord telling Joshua (taking the lead after Moses to cross the wandering people into the promised land by way of the overflowed Jordan River) to pay attention and do what he is asked and to not waiver, and “FEAR NOT, I am always with you”…. TRUE, God is always with us – and directing us – oh if only we understand and try to step out NOT in irrational fear but in DRAWING NEAR… Like the Godspell lyrics: “Day by day – Oh Dear Lord -Three things I pray – To see thee more clearly – Love thee more dearly – Follow thee more nearly – Day by day”…
When I experienced irrational fear – those couple times over the past 10 years – it is this image of what I drew that I have immortalized in photo and in heart – it is simply stick figures but my mind fleshes out the emotions and the rescue and the realization of Jesus reaching for me and me reaching to Him – drawn as stick figures – it reinforces that “He saved me then – He will save me again” feeling… And the background information is so important to me as it would be in any people’s struggles – their triumph by way of God. And yet it is not the pain but the power of God which is to be remembered more.
Yes in life, one has to keep a good grip on Jesus’s hand… having stress is between you and Him, He helps the resolution but also He helps how we handle stress to move forward…. if Jesus says “give it to Me”, He REALLY means it! If a particular stress re-occurs and continues to re-occur – if that stressor does not go away – well, we especially need to keep listening to Jesus’s help.
It is crucial that I re-live Jesus’s saving moment more than I relive the sinking stress that caused me to reach to Him… Remember the saving feeling.. I pray to not lose grip of His Hand… His save is the physical moment of “You were running a good race, who cut into you to stop you from obeying the truth”. The truth is that we are still in the race… The truth is Jesus.
THANK YOU LORD AGAIN for the save… AMEN
So, to follow up on the sermon from that Sunday, I started listening to the morning bible hours on recordings, Joshua chapters explained. It is so wonderful to have a direct connection to the people who inspire us and also encourage them that their teachings hit a right nerve… Dr Lennox speaks in plain enough sharing of the deep meanings and makes this chapter accessible to us learning. Here is day 3 Wednesday the 30th as a video link, starts at the section of the teaching at minute 18:
AMEN…
FROM the rescue: Here is the writing I wrote 10 years ago just after I drew that sketch:
Yesterday after stressing about a really bad situation on and off for a couple of weeks, I was stressing awful… Yikes, my stress was thru the roof that very instant!!!! But WOW, how Jesus calmed it….I won’t tell you what those stressors were, but this was my text message to a friend immediately after my heart was released from that pain….. The stressor didn’t go away, but giving it to God made all the difference…
“Wow, I was just feeling so stressed this morning and it caused a real physical heart heaviness feeling, but it’s now GONE due to a refocus on Jesus…. stress pen chewing, gum, and I ate my lunch early, no help, stressing my heart SO heavy…. And so a friend came into my office, she is a good Christian friend and I was able to explain to her this tremendous stress feeling (and what caused it)… And then I explained that often when I was feeling under a storm I would ask Jesus to come back into my boat… when I (like Peter) reached my hand up, out of the water while sinking, that I could re-focus…. So while telling her this, I actually motioned up, reaching for Jesus with my hand and grabbing HIS… And I am not kidding, my heart felt such instant relief!!!!! It was amazing, instant relief, the heaviness gone!!!!! WOW!!!!! Good God!!!! Thank you Jesus for this peace!!!”
I told another friend about this amazing release feeling and she said “Welcome back into the boat!”
PEACE
Joshua 3 NIV – Crossing the Jordan
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
Joshua 1:1-11 NIV Joshua Installed as Leader
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”
Debbie Upper 