Take a Peaceful Moment

Have you ever felt afraid? Really afraid? It may have been the fear of something physical. Perhaps it was the fear of something emotional . Or maybe both. Perhaps it was the kind of fear that mothers feel when that teenage son or daughter is not home long after the promised time of return. And then in the distance you hear the siren of an ambulance. And your imagination takes over.

Fear! It can be both body and soul destroying. With earth-shattering events going on all around us, many people fear for the future. I well remember a time in my life when I was fearful of what the future would bring. And then I found this lovely little poem by Naomi Corke, and it brought so much comfort to me. I want to share it with you today.

"Lord, for the future, though unknown,
I cannot be afraid,
For You have promised all Your Own,
Your all-sufficient aid.
I cannot always see my way,
But You are ever near,
Your promises come to me each day
My unknown path to cheer,
And as I place my hand in Thine,
I hear You whisper, 'You are Mine.'"

God gives us a wonderful assurance in Isaiah 41:10 (CEV), "Don't be afraid, I am with you; Don't tremble with fear, I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with My arm and give you victories."

Attached to my filing cabinet is a selection (author unknown) that you may have read before, but I would like to share it with you again. It is called "Footprints".

One night I had a dream —
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord and across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the path of my life there was only one set of footprints. I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life.

This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, You said that once I decided to follow You, You would walk with me all the way, but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why in times when I needed You most, You should leave me."

The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you during your times of trial and suffering.
When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

My Prayer

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Your wonderful promise that You will be with me always. There are so many times when I feel afraid, but I accept Your promise. Please calm my fears, and give to me that wonderful assurance that I can leave things in Your hands, and that You will guide me in any actions that I may need to take.

Thank You once again for Your care.
Amen.

If you want to know more about how Jesus is caring for you, contact information@amcdiscovery.org.au and ask for the Try Jesus Free Correspondence Course.

The pictures on this page depict:

Top — Chinchilla Cat

Centre — A Koala — native to Australia.

Bottom — Esperance Beach, Western Australia (True colour of the water)