'Day One' Blog

I Know Too Much About the Lord to Tank…

Photo by Juan Gomez

I know too much about the Lord to tank right now.” I piped up with that statement in our community group ZOOM chat last week and was encouraged to briefly elaborate. I fall within the majority of the population who has been impacted by COVID19 but is NOT suffering significant hardship. Even so, there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not invited to embrace fear and anxiety as I look out into an unknown future.

Two simple things fuel my “I know too much…” statement. When I look forward to the future, I remember those things that are sure (the promises of God) and try very hard to attach expectations to those and nothing else. Secondly, I look to the past to see the winding trail of the faithfulness of God, not only to me, but to humanity all through the ages. The promises of God are as solid and factual as my testimony of His faithfulness to me is. And that trumps the invitations to let anxiety take root.

I pray that you too will lay hold of His promises and let the memories of His faithfulness linger so that your response to all things related to the pandemic reveals your steadfast trust in God!

Peace in the Storm,
~ Anne

As for You, O Lord,
You will not restrain Your mercy from me;
Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness
will ever preserve me!
Psalm 40:11 (ESV)

6 Comments

  • ALLAN T SAWYER

    Anne,

    The picture of the sea wall and then reading your words caused me to think about something from earlier this week, and the photograph of the seawall really brought the point home.

    My first thought was, they must have built that seawall at low tide, and poured it into carefully constructed molds. And, that is a pretty impressive seawall, but it hasn’t always looked like that.

    Looking at the much older brick seawall in the foreground of the photo, I realize that was what it probably first looked like, before it was realized that the brick and mortar construction was completely inadequate. Something much better needed to be built.

    The same has been true with me and my spiritual life, and I suspect is true for most. When we first received the Gospel, we may have felt like we had all the protection we needed, but then we realized our need for growth; for spiritual formation; for sanctification. We realized that the armor that we were using had too many areas of weakness to really protect us in battle.

    As the years have gone by, and we have grown in our faith and our armor has improved, we are no longer cast to and fro by every attack on our faith (see Ephesians 4). Indeed, our seawalls are looking much better than the initial brick and mortar, and better deflect the storms and waves.

    This reminds me of an old prayer from a book of Common Prayer.

    May the Lord Christ go with you wherever he may send you.
    May he guide you through the wilderness and protect you through the storm.
    May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.
    May he bring you home rejoicing once again through our doors.

    I’m wondering, Anne, if your writing and your reflections are causing you to write more songs? I can’t wait, as I suspect that is likely the case. Thank you for sharing your heart.

    Yours, but mostly HIS,
    Allan

    • Anne Barbour

      I love your reflections, Alan. They are honest and I can relate, as most of us can (you pointed that out). Our life with Him builds into us a strength… HIS strength.

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