A few nights ago, I had a dream.
In my dream, I was alone, trying to find my way home in a very bad storm. I knew that my journey home was going to be a long one- I was going from Galveston (a beach town on the coast of Texas) back home to Plano (a suburb just north of Dallas) It would have taken at least 5 hours by car, but I didn’t have a car. I was walking home. I had no money, no map, no phone, and no way of knowing which way I needed to go other than relying on my instinct. When I made it from my starting point into the next major city (Houston), I turned around to survey how far I had come. As I turned around, I saw a giant wave swallow the beach and the city that I had just left. When I faced forward to continue my journey, I noticed that the sky around me was dark gray. I could feel the humidity rise around me the same way it rises before a downpour. I was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, with no umbrella or protection from the weather. I tried to seek shelter in the streets around me, but there was no where for me to go. I continued on, in the rain, eager to reunite with my family.
I want to share with you what I wrote down when I woke up from this dream.
Thank you God…
- that I have your voice to give me direction in this storm.
- that you will provide me with shelter in this storm.
- that you will give me provision in this storm.
- that you have given me vision to see the storm and to see my way out of the storm.
- that you will equip me with what I need to survive the storm.
- that I have my family though this storm.
In my times of uncertainty, I have told myself to return to what I know about God– the things that I know to be true about his nature. My dream highlighted all of these. We are all in a storm right now. Each one of us has a story of how our current climate has effected us directly or indirectly.
Psalm 37 is a great reminder for us all-
vs 3: Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.
vs 7a: Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him;
vs 18 & 19: The Lord knows the days of the upright and blameless, and their heritage will abide forever. They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
And don’t forget…
vs 23-25: The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him. I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the [uncompromisingly] righteous forsaken or their seed begging bread.
I want to encourage you to bring your focus back to what you know about God. This song has encouraged me over the past month, and I hope that it encourages you as well.
~Shiney
