Starting to write a book is easy. It’s like the inspirational rays of dawn pushing back the dark. It holds promise, beauty, and excitement, but then I get to the middle of my book, it’s like a fog descends, and I can no longer see the beginning nor the ending. I struggle along, wandering and hoping I’m on the right path. Sometimes, I’ll circle back and reread the beginning to get my bearings. Other times I’ll push through, knowing it’s a rough draft and thinking if I can just make it to the destination, I can cut and delete to find the most direct route the second or third time around. As I near the end, it’s as if the skies clear, and I sprint to the finish with eager delight.
Faith can be like writing a book. It’s easy at the beginning and the end, but it can be hard in the middle. The Israelites’ faith waned in the desert. Even though they had witnessed firsthand God’s wrath fall upon Egypt, the miracle of God parting the Red Sea, and food (manna) falling from heaven, a little over a year in, their grumbling started. Doubts crept in, to the point of wanting to return to Egypt and slavery. Their faith faltered in the foggy middle. They forgot God’s miracles and lost their way. Their lack of assurance caused them to wander for forty years.
When we run into a crisis, whether it’s health, work, or family-related, we can start off full of faith, but then the waiting happens. We try to keep our chin up, keep calm, and carry on (as the British say), but waiting becomes a fog where doubt and hopelessness seep in. We lose our way and ask, Is God listening? Did He hear my prayer? When will He come to my rescue?
What can we do to not lose our way in the murky middle of a crisis? What lifeline can we cling to that will guide us through the fog?
That God will give us rest.
I like to turn to what I call Psalm 9-1-1. There’s no 911th Psalm, but I think of Psalm 91:1 as our Biblical version of our American 9-1-1 emergency call system. Psalm 91:1 states, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the almighty.” When you’re in crisis, rest feels out of reach, but Psalm 91 offers rest to those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High.
I have a sunny spot in my living room where, after a long work trip or even a hard workday, I shake off my stress, have a cup of tea, and relax. When we dwell in God’s house and in his presence, we can carry that peace within us. We can relax knowing that the God who made the universe and us is in control and guards over us. Psalm 91 also addresses our fears, terrors of the night, arrows (or battles), pestilence, plagues, disasters, and it tells us that God will protect and rescue us because we love the Lord and have put our trust in Him.
God will stay by our side the entire time.
God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, but He also stays with us in the middle (Psalm 23:4). Despite their grumbling, God guided the Israelites, remaining with them as they traversed the desert, telling them when to stay or go as a pillar of smoke and light. Psalm 34:18 states, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Even if others forget us or scatter when we need them most, the Lord never forgets us (Isaiah 49:15). He knows every hair on our head, and He collects every tear.
We don’t carry the burden alone.
1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” Notice how the verse states all of your cares. Not some. Not a few. All of your cares. God doesn’t expect you to carry the weight of those burdens alone. He welcomes you to place them on his shoulders.