Seven Trees

Summer… to a child it means play all day, catch fireflies at night, bathe, sleep, repeat.  I remember one perfect summer morning at my grandmother’s, I was about ten years old.  The sky was a beautiful blue with a few puffy clouds here and there. The sun grew brighter, warming the air, calling us to come out to play.  My grandmother’s house was brimming with excitement as the little plastic pool was filling with water while my brothers and I gathered our toys and towels.

As the morning turned to noon the gentle breeze grew restless and the clouds thickened, hiding the sun more often than not.  Soon leaves were blowing, random objects rattling, and our towels and toys were tossed around by the wind.  A storm was coming, it was time to go inside.

I saw my mom watching the storm from the kitchen window.  I climbed up next to her by the sink to see what she could see.  Suddenly, the wild wind lifted our little pool full of water and sent it soaring over the fence and into the neighbor’s yard.  Then my mom prayed, “Thank you Lord for protecting our home.”  I asked, “Why did you thank him when the storm isn’t over yet?  We don’t know if he will protect our house.”  You see, our home was in the woods, surrounded by trees so tall they could break our house in two.  She said she was thanking Jesus in advance, trusting him for his protection.

The next morning we drove home to find seven towering trees scattered on the ground all around our property.  Yet… not one tree touched our house!  I recall the top of a tree lying right outside our kitchen bay window peering in as if to say, “Someone must have been praying!” Another tree bent in half over the electrical wires that ran from the telephone pole to the corner our house.  It seemed as though the broken tree belabored against the wind while hovering above the wires, protecting them from damage.  Yet, I knew who sheltered our home.  God heard and answered my mother’s prayer!

Storms in our lives often come without warning.  Tossing our emotions in the air as the howling winds pass through, occasionally leaving a different landscape for us to learn to navigate and debris to throw way.   In times like these it’s hard to imagine the sun will ever shine again.  Storms are difficult, for sure, yet there are always life lessons we can glean from them.  Lessons that deepen our faith, develop our character, reveal God’s love, provision and protection, demonstrate his power and prove he answers prayer.

My personal storms have shown me that God is good and he is faithful.  This storm, though literal, taught me how to pray.  To thank God in advance for what I am trusting he will do.  To name my needs, worries and concerns and lay them at his feet, trusting and believing He hears, He cares and He will answer.  To claim his promise that he is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we could ask or imagine.

We are going through a personal storm right now.  Though the Lord has not answered as of yet, I have peace knowing he is bigger than the storm.  Though all I hear is silence, I am confident he is at work behind the scenes.  How do I know?  Because in all the trails I have faced throughout my life he has always come through in his perfect way and his perfect timing.  I am confident he will do the same for you.

Is there a storm brewing or coming your way?  Are you looking for peace in the middle of a storm right now?  Maybe the wreckage seems too much to bear?  Take courage, God is with you.  He hears you and he will answer you when you pray.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Here’s how:

First: Don’t worry about anything.

*When we trust God, we don’t worry.  When we doubt God, we worry.

It can be scary to let go of our worry, fear, or anxiety because it sometimes feels like they  are the only things we can control. However, Jesus said, “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27 NASB

Next: Instead, pray about everything.

*When you start to worry, stop and pray instead.  This my take place 20, 30 or 100 times a day at first, and it’s okay, you can pray anywhere.  Eventually it will be less and less because your reaction to pray instead of worry will become a more natural response.

Then: With thanksgiving, tell him what you are trusting him to do, then lay it at his feet.

*Keep your requests at his feet.  Don’t pick them up again. Let him handle it, he wants to!  He wants to demonstrate his faithfulness to you.

Finally: The peace of God that you cannot understand or explain will guard your heart and your mind!  This comes purely from letting go, trusting God and believing his promises are true and and written by God for you.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.  Ephesians 3:20-21 NASB

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father,

My thoughts have been filled with worry causing anxiety that grips my heart.  Sometimes it’s even hard to breathe.  I know this is not from you.  I need your peace.

Today I choose to lay my burdens, worries, fears, and anxieties down at your feet.  Lord, remind me stop and pray every time I start to worry about anything.

Thank you for being bigger than my storm.  Thank you for hearing me when I pray.

I thank you in advance for (name your requests here) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lord, I believe you hear me.  I believe you care.  I believe you will answer me.  So I lay all this at you feet, waiting in hope and with expectation for you to answer.

Thank you for your peace that transcends all understanding, guarding my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.

In Jesus wonderful name,

Amen

*The image above is of my parents backyard to demonstrate the massive height of the trees.  Our God is Bigger!