“You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!”—Psalm 139": 2-6 (NLT)
At some point in our lives, we will all deal with some kind of trauma. Last summer on our trip in Italy, something triggered a memory from my experience with my first husband. I had journaled about it. Enough time has passed where I am able to write about it
As we were checking out of our hotel to venture on to a new area, my husband started to get a pain in his side. On our boat trip over to a small island where we would be spending our last few days, I could tell, the pain was getting worse. By the time we disembarked, he could barely walk. We had our tour guide translate to our driver to go straight to the emergency room.
On our way to the hospital, all I could think was, “here I am again in a foreign country going to a hospital with my husband.” I had to remind myself not only had God given me peace that he was going to be okay but this wasn’t’ the same situation as 30 years ago with John. Because John had a pulse when he was pulled out of the ocean, he was taken to the hospital. He was never revived and was considered dead on arrival.
My husband is very private (also why I waited to write about this) He didn’t want me texting everyone for prayers. Rather than send it out to a bunch of people, I sent something in confidence to some of my small prayer warrior text threads.
You see, he wasn’t the only one that needed prayers. I needed them to pray for me to keep my focus on the One True Healer and not the listen to the lies where the enemy wanted to take my mind. Of course, I had my knitting with me. To redirect my worry, I prayed as I was knitting each one of the hair scrunchies I was making.
I had planned on getting a jump start on Christmas gifts, but God led me to people in Italy to give away each scrunchie I had made. I let our translator have her pick while we were waiting on my husband’s discharge papers. She stayed by my side the entire time as well as going back and checking on my husband so she could translate for him.
To this day, we don’t know what caused that intense pain. At one point they thought a possible kidney stone, but all his tests came back clear. The next day he was able to go on our scheduled tour. It was definitely a test for me to not be filled with fear for my Faithful Father had given me peace as well as surrounded us with caring individuals who stayed by our side.
Fear can infect my heart when doubt plagues my mind, which triggers the runaway thoughts. Reaching out to my prayer warriors gave me the strength to not fall prey to where the enemy wanted to paralyze me with worry.
Verses 2-3 in Psalm 139 reminds us of God always being with us wherever we are. “You know my thoughts even when I’m far away You see me when I travel and when I rest at home” Verse 5 -6 go on to say God goes before me, follows me and places His hand of blessing on my head. Just as verse 6 states, it truly is too great for me to comprehend.
No matter where I am, whether here at my home or traveling overseas, I am never out of God’s sight. The same goes for you as well. Awareness of His nearness is the best anecdote for fear. Only God can tame any triggers and soothe an anxious soul. When I have faith that God’s presence is all around me, worry subsides.
God’s presence drives out our fears and imparts courage. While fear may fill our world, we don’t have to allow it to fill our hearts. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He gives all of us access to a calm and well-balanced mind.
Father God,
Forgive me when I let fear fill my heart. Only You can drive out those worrisome thoughts and replace them with peace. It is hard to fathom Your presence is with me wherever I go, but I know Your Word is true. It comforts me to know not only do You go before me but are also by my side following me. You know my thoughts. Thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit who conquers the lies the enemy wants me to focus on rather than Your unfailing love. I left those up to You who are struggling with this. May they release whatever triggers are holding them back from receiving peace in Your presence. I pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
June Verse
“Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD! Praise the LORD!”Psalm 150:6 (NLT)
If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.