This past Thanksgiving, I traveled by myself with our 4 children (ages 7 and 4) to Johnson City, TN to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her family. Since Josh was going to be out for Thanksgiving, we opted to make the trip and visit.
The trip there was long but uneventful. It is a 15 hour drive, so I split it between two days since we left after lunch on Sunday. While there, we had the most awesome visit. I was there when my nephew, Kamden, had a bone marrow aspiration done to rule out cancer. We truly had so many things for which to thank God this Thanksgiving, including the news of "no cancer" for Kamden!
I dreaded the long journey home and planned on going home in one day since I had to be home for church on Sunday. As we traveled, we had good weather. The closer we got to home, the worse the weather became.
I have a huge fear of heights, which includes bridges. Our journey home took us over a big bridge in Baton Rouge over the Mississippi River. The other one is a very long bridge over the swamps of the Atchafalya Basin. On this long stretch of bridge, there are two high elevated sections to allow large vessels passage underneath them.
Well, we were blessed to make it across the Mississippi Bridge without rain. But by the time we made it to the Basin bridge, the sky was dark with night AND horrible rainy weather. My nerves were raw and knuckles white as we crossed the bridge.
As we progressed, my confidence rapidly unraveled. I am frantic and fighting back tears. I made the kiddos turn down the movie to provide more quietness. As I am losing it at the wheel, I begin sobbing and praying out loud and reciting Scripture passages. At one point, one of the boys requested more volume and my daughter replied, "Be quiet. Mom is praying!"
The more I prayed, the more strength I had. I continued to cry and pray aloud. As we approached the first high bridge, the wind began to gust up to 50-60mph. The rain was pouring and the lightning was blinding. The fear remained, but there was a sense of calm amidst this powerful storm. I prayed for safety for us and for the other motorists traveling alongside us.
I recited Psalms that attested to God being my rock, my fortress, my strength. Through it, I began to hold it together a bit more. The tears continued, the knuckles stayed white, but God kept us safe and gave me the strength to make it across that long bridge.
What began as a very terrifying trip over the bridge that seemed to have no end turned out to be a testimony to answered prayers. You see, God didn't stop the storm. He traveled with me THROUGH the storm. He didn't take away my fears, but gave me the strength to move past them.
That is so true in all aspects of our lives. There are "storms" that we all must weather. There are real fears that we must all stare down and move past. I asked God to come and be with me. I wanted the strength only He could give. He heard my cries, literally. He came to me and went through that storm with me.
He may not calm the waves, stop the wind and rain in your storm. He may not run gray skies to blue. But He promises to be there to weather ALL of our storms WITH us. He will hold our hands if we are afraid. he will bolster our confidences to stare down our fears. We don't have to travel that never ending bridge, in the middle of a storm, alone. All we have to do is ask, and He will be there!
"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge." Psalm 18:2
"The Lord is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in Him with all my heart." Psalm 28:7
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