When oceans rise my soul will rest in Your embrace…
Be afraid, but never lose faith.
Seems like my life can be explained by song lyrics. I was considering the finale from the Broadway musical, The Wiz, Home, written by Charlie Smalls. There’s a verse that accurately captures the faith journey I’ve been on for the past few years.
Suddenly my world has changed it’s face
But I still know where I’m going
I have had my mind spun around in space
And yet I’ve watched it growing…
Here’s the thing; there was a time in my life when I was afraid AND let my fear paralyze me, robbing me of the ability to move forward. I wrote about being in the wilderness, beseeching God for why I had such a difficult path to trod, and saw only hard places. Not only was I afraid, I could not move forward. It is clear to me now that God was getting my attention. I needed to stop fighting. I needed to stop believing that I had ANY control over my path or my Peace. I needed surrender. It wasn’t easy (having blogged more than 3 years now, I spend about 20% of my energy and my words writing about surrender.) It wasn’t easy, but I began to submit my will to His.
I write about surrender regularly…
I am thankful that God dealt gently with my fear. I never doubted that He was bigger than the storm; I earnestly intended to surrender myself, my fear, my whole self to Him, and He rewarded my earnest intent with Grace (that’s what He does).
Once I began to appreciate submission and surrender (notice I didn’t say I mastered them), God drew me even closer to Him, but He required a deeper sacrifice first; I had to be broken.
Next stop? I learned to live with my brokenness, I asked NOT to be restored, because I have come to appreciate that being broken forever confirmed my dependence upon The One Who makes me whole, a hard but beautiful lesson.
Then I entered the Crucible. On January 1 of this year, I made my newest confession on my blog. “For me, the wilderness was never the point, only a process. I thought surrendering was my destination, but it wasn’t. I believed confessing my brokenness was the point, but it was only the beginning. The third chapter of Malachi speaks of the Levites being purified by fire, that they might offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
What is the Crucible, you ask? Merriam Webster provides the following by way of definition,
- a pot in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted
- a difficult test or challenge
- a place or situation that forces people to change or make difficult decisions
That is where God placed me, despite my fears.
When faced with fear, for me, there are only two options, fight or flight-and here’s a clue to my personality…
I don’t run.
So (FINALLY), here’s where Dorothy and the lyrics come in. Like the Wiz’s protagonist, the last few years have represented my embrace of the journey I call Life Through Fear. Hear my declaration,
Be Afraid, But NEVER Lose Faith.
When we decided to use Hillsong UNITED’s Oceans as a writing prompt, my choice of lyrics was easy.
When oceans rise my soul will rest in Your embrace…
You see, despite my wilderness wanderings, despite my struggles, my Divine lesson has always been this…Comfort is where My God is…even in the wilderness. (<==== Click to tweet) As Dorothy sings it, despite my world having changed its face, I rest in His Embrace. In the midst of having my mind spun around in space, He is my shelter. Even as the oceans rise, should the waters overtake me, I’m good. I’m resting. He is, and there I will abide.
How do I bring this all together? In the words of the 46th Psalm.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. Psalms 46:1-5 (KJV)
Some encouragement has the capacity to immediately lift you from your despairing to joy. Fair warning, this isn’t THAT kind of encouragement, but stand fast, this is warrior wisdom. I accept that the balance of my life may be lived in the wilderness, in the close and uncomfortable confines of the Crucible, and yet I rejoice. I rest in His Embrace. I take shelter beside a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God. I’m good. I’m covered. Everywhere I am, He is. God is in my midst, and I shall not be moved. (<==== Click to tweet) And that place, in Him, is peaceful, and beautiful, and safe.
Shared by Chelle Wilson
___________________________
Here at God-sized Dreams, we are partial to the song Oceans, by Hillsong United.
It encapsulates the ideas of facing big struggles, turning to Jesus, and the freedom of resting in His embrace.
Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout this month of May,
we’re going to explore these issues as presented through the lyrics of the song.
All posts in the series can be found on the Oceans page.
Ashley Fields says
May 12, 2014 at 8:32 amSo many of these posts resonate with me but this one is different. This one is an answer to a prayer. We all face fear. Give me a person who tells you they don’t face fear and I’ll offer you my best ocean front property in Arizona. 😉 What makes all the difference is how each of us goes about handling fearful situations. I have been in bondage to fear since I was a small child, literally. I took on the fears of my female relatives without even realizing that I was doing so. I have overcome many of those fears and I am overcoming yet others but there are a few fears that are debilitating and I have to say, they drive me nuts. I feel like I’ve been circling the mountain (with the mountain being the fears I mentioned) for so long and every so often I get brave and start up it only to come back down again. I know my family and friends think I am making excuses or being lazy but unless you’ve been there (or are in my head to know how I think), there is no way you can know how hard, embarrassing, and heart-breaking it is to continually give-in to the same fears. I realized this weekend that I am not going to overcome these fears (or any future ones) without a serious change in perspective and battle tactics. Your post provided the beginning steps of those needed changes. I also realize that I while God deserves the ultimate credit for any fear overcome, I need to give myself some credit for the fears overcome thus far rather than making them out to be small feats. When you’re in bondage to fear, any fear overcome is a feat worth praising God over, no matter how big or small it appears!
Thank you so much for being transparent!
alecia says
May 12, 2014 at 8:57 amI’ve been in bondage to fear most of my life too. I didn’t realize how much so until last year when I finally decided I had enough. God showed me so many ways and decisions I had made that were based in fear. It’s a daily choice give into the fear or get out of the way and trust God. I pray every morning for the strength to get out of the way. Unlike Chelle, I’m a runner. I run when things get hard…out of fear. God’s dealing with me on this too. I’ll be praying for you, Ashley, I so get where you are. We can be bold and courageous!!
Chelle Wilson says
May 12, 2014 at 4:36 pmAlicia,
yes, we can be brave and courageous, particularly when we stand side by side.
Love you, girl!
In peace,
Chelle
Chelle Wilson says
May 12, 2014 at 4:34 pmAshley,
Wow! What a testimony…what you wrote here, “When you’re in bondage to fear, any fear overcome is a feat worth praising God over, no matter how big or small it appears…” really speaks to me. I thank God for everyone brave enough to move ahead DESPITE fear. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said that “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” We all experience fear-the blessing of Grace is not being so paralyzed by it that we cannot move on. Keep taking brave steps, even when they are small. Keep seeking God, who has never left you along. Thank you for sharing your struggle and your blessings with us.
Never ever stop chasing Grace, Peace, and your dreams,
Chelle
Valerie Sisco says
May 12, 2014 at 12:55 pmChelle,
What a courageous post! I actually take a great deal of encouragement from your post because I find myself in the midst of a similar experience — how your words resonate with me today! I love how you emphasize that God is with us in our midst – no matter what our circumstances are. Thank you for sharing your heart!
Chelle Wilson says
May 12, 2014 at 4:38 pmValerie,
that’s why we’re here at http://www.GodSizedDreams.com, to share our struggles and testify that despite them, and because of God’s Grace, we’re still here and we’re going to make it to achieve or dreams.
Stay in the fight sister, and never lose faith.
In His Peace,
Chelle
Makeda says
May 12, 2014 at 9:19 pm“Home is not just a place where you eat or sleep. Home is knowing. It’s knowing your heart. Knowing your mind. Knowing your courage. When we know ourselves, we’re always home” I LOVE the Wiz and those final scenes in the movie are among my favorite. The line that Lena Horne says that I’ve quoted here has acted like a lighthouse to guide me more times than I can count. Thank you so much for sharing your heart and your story so courageously. You truly are a brave woman and you’re lesson on learning to lean gently into the Father’s will (and His loving care) is an inspiration. Thank you!
Chelle Wilson says
May 12, 2014 at 10:08 pmMakeda,
Lena was always one of my idols-did you know that her son-in-law wrote that character for her? I’m so grateful that sharing my struggles might encourage anybody else to be a little bit brave. I now understand that God tests us so we can testify. Your words encourage me to keep on-I’m only brave enough to run to Him.
Thank you.
Peace and good,
Chelle
Sabra Penley says
May 13, 2014 at 1:15 pmYes, Chelle, knowing that God is always with me and that He has a purpose and is bringing good out of all things, especially those really hard times, is what has kept me going. It has helped me grow closer to Him and to reach out to others more. It gets my focus off myself and onto my Holy God, which is where it should have been all along. So grateful for the hard times! Thanks for sharing.
Chelle Wilson says
May 15, 2014 at 3:15 pmSabra,
Amen. I wish I could say that I am grateful for the hard times…I appreciate them and the ways they draw me closer to the Throne of Grace, but MAN, are they rough.
So glad to know I’m not walking alone, to God be the Glory.
Peace to you on your journey,
Chelle
Amy Hunt says
May 15, 2014 at 1:28 pmYes and Amen. Through and through.
Chelle Wilson says
May 15, 2014 at 3:16 pmAmy,
You know. No other words are necessary. So grateful to God that you walk those lonesome valleys by my side.
Peace, sweet sister.
Chelle
Lisha Epperson says
May 18, 2014 at 4:47 amThat you’d send.this to me on such an, important day is only one of the reasons you’re so fabulous. And that line from Home was all I needed to hear. Held onto my faith and it is well.Thank you.