When strengthening my spiritual eyes, I need to see things for what they are.

I learned an important lesson last week; when strengthening my spiritual eyes, I need to see things for what they are. The other morning, I woke up with an unfamiliar song in my head. I could hear the guitar and the rhythm but I could not hear the words.

Dragging myself out of bed, I made my way to the coffee and my Bible. But the tune I woke with would not be silenced. It was as if the song was longing to be recognized. So I sat with it, right there on my couch, with my coffee in hand, and listened to the song with no words rolling through my mind.

As the minutes passed by, I began hearing some of the words. “Even when it feels like my world is shaken…” It was just enough for me to search YouTube and find the song. (I’ve included it below. If you cannot see it, then open this message from your browser.)

As I listened with all of its words, I was reminded of one important truth;

God is always with me.

I was preparing to meet with a surgeon later that week and was beginning to fear everything that might come after. This was a minor outpatient procedure, but the surgeon recommended anesthesia. I had never been put to sleep before. Truth be told, I was scared to death of the thought of it. I was more afraid of being put to sleep than the actual surgery.

I wrestled with myself, wanting to cancel the appointment, the surgery, the whole thing. My fear was controlling me and my ability to make reasonable decisions. And it was growing. But no one knew because I wasn’t talking about it. I was hiding the fear from everyone, including God. Except you can’t hide from God.

As I watched the YouTube video, tears rolled down my face. I had two realizations: one, my fear is not real and two, God is. As I continued to listen, God ministered to me and exposed my fear for me. Seeing my fear for what it was led me to another truth. Tucked inside that unfamiliar morning song was the answer to a question I was to afraid to ask.

Psalm 139:7-10 NIV reads,

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.”

I wish I could say that was the end of my fear that day. That listening to that song and having those realizations somehow conquered my fear. But it did not. I must have listened to that song a hundred times leading up to my surgery. Each time, God comforted me. But that fear never went away. I battled it until the moment I drifted off to sleep on that operating room table. But, God was with me, even then.

God will never leave you nor forsake you.

I learned a few things about fear. One, we need to see it for what it is. And two, we need to remember God is always with us even in the midst of our fears. When we give into fear, we give up our power. Next week, I’m going to show you how to take back that power in the face of fear. In the meantime, go back and listen to Micah Tyler’s “Even Then,” and be comforted in knowing that God is always with you, even in the midst of your greatest fears.

Let us pray; Dear Lord, thank you that there is no where I can go that you are not already there. Thank you that you will never leave me nor forsake me . And thank you that there is nothing I can hide from you and nothing I can do to make you love me any less. In Jesus’ name, Amen. -M