The Key

The Holy One calls me today.  I wake up to the reality that nothing changed in my circumstances since yesterday.  The only relief I find is that each morning  the Holy One meets me at the moment my mind registers that it is a new day.

Yesterday is gone.  We cannot go back and change anything.  We must press on in spite of our failures or victories.  The journey with Jesus is life and eternity long, but not always on an easy, level pathway.

The latest part of the journey has been a huge mountain to climb.  A long, narrow, winding pathway.  The discomfort has been at times, like a fiery furnace burning my flesh and at other times, like deep thorns piercing my mind. The pain I feel and the agony I suffer is not just mine but also for what others are going through as well.

The injustice, the unfairness, the bitter things in the fallen earth.  Things I know my Savior can change with one word from His Throne. Then the Holy One calls me to sit with Him.  I know He doesn't have to explain Himself, but He does.

His gentle voice speaks to my heavy heart.  "I know it may be hard for you to understand looking on.  But I am taking my Beloved children, even you, into places of their greatest fears, not to destroy them but to heal them."

Fear is one of those hot button issues for me. I deal with it on a daily basis.  The Lord in His mercy has given me great victory over many fears, but there always seems to surface some nasty, ugly, fearsome thoughts as I face the threat of harm in each new situation.

Long ago, the Holy One told me to assess things correctly and that the "threat" of harm is not harm itself.  Fear is like a phantom, dark and foreboding until the light of the Son shines and reveals it is nothing more than that:  a phantom.

Fear is spoken of throughout God's Word.  Provb. 1:17,  The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Provb 19:23, The fear of the Lord, teaches a man.....leads to life.  Then we are also commanded to "fear no evil" and taught that "fear of man is a snare".

I sit with my Counselor, my mind swirling with the various forms of  fear I read about in His Word.  Then He takes me to Isaiah 33:5-6:

"The Lord is exhaled for He dwells on High.  He will fill Zion with Justice and Righteousness.  He will be the sure foundation for your times. A rich storehouse of salvation and wisdom and knowledge.  The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure."  Our God is the God of justice and righteousness, a sure foundation for all who trust in Him.  He is our Source for all things and greatly to be praised.

The absolute supremacy of our God and King is assured in my mind.  The Holy One continues to speak His wisdom in what He has allowed.  "fear in my servant's heart and mind is the one thing that will immobilize them and neutralize their effective service for Me in a fallen earth.  I must take each one of you into places of your greatest fears so that you will know no fear.  To get past fear, we must walk through it .......TOGETHER!"

Each step of the way my Shepherd leads me.  And as I look back at other places where fears hung me up, I realize He got me through those things, never to fear them again. He has proven over and over that He is faithful.

The truth will set us free.  The Truth is that we have a Shepherd/Savior all rolled into one.  Interesting.  He leads us into places to save us...out of our fears, out of our ignorance, out of our unbelief, out of all those things that would cripple us and neutralize our victory over the works of darkness here on earth.  Jesus said that He came to destroy the works of the devil and left us in His place to do the same.  The things we fear hold us in bondage.  Jesus sent His Spirit to set us free that we might serve Him more powerfully.

"The Lord is exhaled for He dwells on High.  He will fill Zion with Justice and Righteousness.  He will be the sure foundation for your times. (The Lord will be a sure foundation for MY times,) a rich storehouse of salvation and wisdom and knowledge.  The fear of the Lord is the "Key" to this treasure."

Somehow I knew that despite all my worries and concerns for myself and others, despite the way the world looks like it is spinning out of control,  My Lord is in control and I am thankful that He takes the time to remind me of that fact.

So when we wake up and find ourselves in what seems to be a prison of circumstances, let us remember that we don't have to remain there.  The Holy One says, "I have the key". 

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?