Not far off
/
I woke from a horrid, terrifying and graphically dreadful dream this morning. I laid in the dark praising Jesus for the alarm I had set the night before. It awoke me from more details that my mind didn't need to see. It woke me from my baby's faces, wrought with agony as they looked at me in desperation. We tried our best to stay hidden from the black robed men destroying our house looking for us, screaming at us through their black face coverings. I couldn't emphasize adequately to my babies to keep quiet. They.just.weren't.quiet!
My eyes let loose a flood. As the tears slid over the folds of my ears and through my hair onto the pillow my mind fired through several scenarios and how I might deal with them if the time came. The time that could come when we are being hunted. "We are sitting ducks out here", I said to my husband as he drifted in and out of sleep, clenching me, trying to comfort. "We'd be fools to think we can protect them anywhere", he replied with truth.
I tried to shake off the horror. I tried to shake the images that were so vivid before my alarm woke me. It was only a dream, after all. A dark, evil, horrific dream. "Good God. Please!"
The fear was overpowering. I prayed fervently to loose it! FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH YOU!
For some it IS reality. It IS happening. It's not imagined fear.
The 21 orange clad men on their knees knelt before me there, in the dark of my room. I looked them in the face and recalled the words of the article John Piper posted yesterday about how we deal with this all. He referenced an article written on how Christians can reflect on this - how to grasp hold of our Word like we should in every circumstance - and how we can expect that this might happen to us. because it might - but we should not fear
That fool from our island that was selling pictures to those hateful black robed men came to mind. They could come here. It is not as far fetched an idea as I want it to be.
We would be fools to think we can fully protect them anywhere. It's true.
The beauty of the cross and the promise that the eternity that awaits us will erase all is all I can grasp onto for comfort. Memories and horrors of this broken place will flee when our bodies are finally renewed to their perfect design in the presence of our perfect Creator, with Him sitting on his thrown in all His glory!
To Him be all the glory. To Him who created us and knows us and desperately loves us be all the glory. He will be glorified in and through all. Nothing slips his mighty grip. Nothing sneaks by without his notice. I can beg and plead - not my babies, not us, not me. I can cry desperate prayers.
My precious babies, take heart, my cherished ones. Follow hard after the Jesus who cherishes you. Turn your eyes ONLY to the Creator that knows your all. Lean fully into his embrace - forget not that he is sovereign. Darkness will not triumph. It will not win.
Death has lost it's sting! Praise the LORD! DEATH HAS LOST IT'S STING!
My eyes let loose a flood. As the tears slid over the folds of my ears and through my hair onto the pillow my mind fired through several scenarios and how I might deal with them if the time came. The time that could come when we are being hunted. "We are sitting ducks out here", I said to my husband as he drifted in and out of sleep, clenching me, trying to comfort. "We'd be fools to think we can protect them anywhere", he replied with truth.
I tried to shake off the horror. I tried to shake the images that were so vivid before my alarm woke me. It was only a dream, after all. A dark, evil, horrific dream. "Good God. Please!"
The fear was overpowering. I prayed fervently to loose it! FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH YOU!
For some it IS reality. It IS happening. It's not imagined fear.
The 21 orange clad men on their knees knelt before me there, in the dark of my room. I looked them in the face and recalled the words of the article John Piper posted yesterday about how we deal with this all. He referenced an article written on how Christians can reflect on this - how to grasp hold of our Word like we should in every circumstance - and how we can expect that this might happen to us. because it might - but we should not fear
That fool from our island that was selling pictures to those hateful black robed men came to mind. They could come here. It is not as far fetched an idea as I want it to be.
We would be fools to think we can fully protect them anywhere. It's true.
The beauty of the cross and the promise that the eternity that awaits us will erase all is all I can grasp onto for comfort. Memories and horrors of this broken place will flee when our bodies are finally renewed to their perfect design in the presence of our perfect Creator, with Him sitting on his thrown in all His glory!
To Him be all the glory. To Him who created us and knows us and desperately loves us be all the glory. He will be glorified in and through all. Nothing slips his mighty grip. Nothing sneaks by without his notice. I can beg and plead - not my babies, not us, not me. I can cry desperate prayers.
My precious babies, take heart, my cherished ones. Follow hard after the Jesus who cherishes you. Turn your eyes ONLY to the Creator that knows your all. Lean fully into his embrace - forget not that he is sovereign. Darkness will not triumph. It will not win.
Death has lost it's sting! Praise the LORD! DEATH HAS LOST IT'S STING!