31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 21 – I’m Gonna Be OK
“I️ have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” John 16:33
What do you do when challenges hit you? You know, those moments when it seems week after week something else crops up to try and get you down.
~Do you face them head on? ~Or do you shrink back and retreat? ~Maybe you look to something else for comfort?
When I am faced with a challenge, my default mechanism is to look to materialistic things to help me through; What does the internet have to say about this dilemma? I know, I will have a rant on Twitter about what I am going through. Or maybe I will post something on Facebook to see if I can find some support. Ultimately, there is always a nice glass of wine at the end of the day to make me feel better.
31 Days of Bible Affirmations – Day 20 – I am Resilient
I Am Resilient
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
I love this Bible verse. When I read it I can’t help but say “hell yeah” at the end with my fist punching the air. This is how I see my life. I have been through so much, and yet I am still here to tell the tale. I am resilient to say the least.
We will always experience hard times in our lives. Some more than others. I think more so too when we are striving to do God’s will. The trick is to keep connected with God throughout all of the situations that try to bring us down.
On day 5 I touched on the subject of feeling unworthy. I felt God’s love was out of my reach because I was not worthy enough. Jesus wants me to believe I am worthy and loved beyond measure. If the birds in the air are loved and provided for, then there should be no doubt that I am worthy too.
Another major obstacle I have which hinders me from accepting God’s love is trust. I think this is quite obvious on many levels.
Why Trusting is Hard
My abuser was a childminder. If you are a parent, at some point in your life you will put your trust in a childminder to look after your children well. My abuser had a completely different idea of how to keep me safe and he completely abused his power.
I lost trust in my parents. After all, they left me with the person who abused me for nearly 5 years. Granted, they didn’t know, so it wasn’t really their fault. But still, every time he came around and they left it was like they were allowing it. It took me a while to realise and come to terms with the fact they weren’t to blame.
I lost trust in myself. I couldn’t stop what was happening and I didn’t speak up. How could I have let it carry on?
I lost trust in the education system. Every time I hear or see the description of what to look for in a child being abused I cringe. I wasn’t that “typical” child so I slipped through the net undetected.
I didn’t trust men. This one is obvious I think!
It was my trust in God that was lost though mainly. I come from a Christian family and my parents were ministers, so why would God let this happen to me? God saw exactly what I went through. If He loved me, then surely He would have stopped it?
Who’s in control?
As I was going through my abuse, I could not see what the outcome was going to be. Would this ever end? What would happen to me? At times, I just wanted to die.
There had been a few times when I took things into my own hands and I took control of where my life was heading. Thankfully, God was still in control in those moments.
It’s only now, over 25 years later, can I see God was with me. He is still with me. The verse from Genesis completely makes sense to me now:
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.Genesis 50:20
When I was younger, I didn’t know what it meant to trust God. It’s only as I have matured, both in age and spiritually, have I realised what putting my faith in God meant.
Over the years, I have grown to love Jeremiah 29:11. I have come to understand how much our God loves us. After all, what loving God would really want to see His children come to harm?
Something to think about…
The healing journey of a survivor can be a lonely one at times. I have learnt when I lean into the One who loves me, I am not on my own. When I look back to the hard times when I have felt alone, I can see God has been there. It’s only been after the trial can I see this.
Can you recollect any moments in your life where you can see God has been at work? Write them down in a journal. Next time you go through a challenging time, read through those moments and hold onto the fact that God is with you and He has a plan for you.
Prayer
God, there are times when I struggle to stand firm on your promises. Please provide me with the strength I need to get up each day and fight the battles I have. Amen.
In the same way the sun never grows weary of shining, nor a stream of flowing, it is God’s nature to keep His promises. Therefore, go immediately to His throne and say, ‘Do as You promised.’
Charles Spurgeon
A promise is where someone makes a pledge to do something. If someone promises something, it is guaranteed they will do it. You can rely on that person to carry through what they said they would do.
So, what happens when a promise is not kept?
When our friends or family let us down, it hurts. Depending on how big the promise was, the hurt is probably so deep we may feel rejected. It’s hard to then wonder if we can trust them again.
There are many promises in the Bible about how God will take care of us and look after us. We should be able to rely on God because He will carry through what He has promised.
But what about when we feel God let’s us down?
I have had people let me down in life, time and time again. Friends say they will be by your side, but when it comes to it, their promises are empty. People promise to “have your back”, but when the time comes, they turn their back on you instead.
And because I think God is like any other human being, why wouldn’t He do this too? Surely, at some point, God let’s us down? After all, if God promises to keep us safe, then why do we go through times of trouble?
I know how hard it can be when you are thrown into a situation beyond your control. In these moments, the promises of God seem a little far fetched. But He is not like any other human being though, is He? God is not in the habit of making and breaking promises.
I was recently reminded that God does not promise to keep us safe. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean we have this protective bubble placed over our lives and nothing can pierce it.
He knows we are going to face afflictions in our lives. God promises that when we are faced with trials, He will be there with us. God will be behind us pushing us forward, by our side walking our journey, and in front leading the way.
He promises to send His Spirit to provide us with the necessary resources to get through life. We just need to seek Him out. This is the crucial bit I often forget.
Are you going through something and you feel you have been abandoned by God? Why not take it to God right now? Maybe start by saying the prayer below. When you feel ready, mention what you are going through at the end of the prayer.
Lord, thank you for the promise you have given to me that you would never leave me. Please give me the knowledge that you are always with me, even if I don’t feel you there. Instil a sense of peace within me today. Help me to stand firm when I feel I am falling. Amen.
This was originally written for the Five Minute Friday Community, where a number of writers gather for a weekly writing challenge around a single word prompt and write to our hearts content, but only for five minutes (or there abouts).
I couldn’t stick to five minutes on this one though and ended up missing the link up! Doh!! The word prompt though was “promise”. You can click here to view what other people have written.
The current season of waiting I am in has had me contemplating. I have been thinking about the people I have in my life. This season has taught me a lot about who I have around me. Especially, in times when I have needed a friend. People who I thought would be by my side through this season have faded away. Continue reading God is in the Midst of Friendships→
The current season of waiting I am in has had me contemplating. I have been thinking about the people I have in my life. This season has taught me a lot about who I have around me. Especially, in times when I have needed a friend. People who I thought would be by my side through this season have faded away. 
