“Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the LORD. “But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.”’”My mind has a tendency to run wild with imagination and fear if I let it. I hate that I let myself go there mentally so often. This week I have been getting documents in order in case something happens to me--in case I die. I am not particularly proud of my "fear focus" as I know this is not what God wants for me and for me to do with precious daily time.
Then over the past 24 hours I read an article by one missionary friend and watched a video about another friend's missionary trip. Both of which had accounts of staying focused on God-one was waiting on a doctor's report and one upon hearing of the death of her husband. (Thanks gals for your faithfulness to share.)
This morning I read the following account from Voice of the Martyrs' "Extreme Devotion" which has helped to cement in my mind a vivid image of focusing on God.
“I purified my heart of the fear of men, and I learned to see God.” Me Ling was young when she was arrested for her Christian activities in Communist China. During times of interrogation, the police would torture her to try to force her to betray friends in the underground church.
At first Me Ling was extremely fearful, and she could not see the purpose that God had for her in that terrible place. But then she remembered the teachings of her pastor who had said, “Real suffering lasts only a minute, and then we spend eternity with our awesome Savior.”
When asked how she was able to keep from going crazy during those terrible times, she replied, “When I closed my eyes, I could not see the angry faces of the men or the instruments of pain they were using. I kept repeating the promise of Christ to myself: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God’ (Matthew 5:8). I also found that when I purified my heart of the fear of men, I learned to really see God. I took courage from all the others who had gone before me and focused on him until everything else faded away. When the officials learned of my defense, they taped my eyelids open. But it was too late because my vision was secure.”
Father, forgive me for my fickleness. Thank you for your strong, yet gentle reminders.
