Immediately

I absolutely love this picture. In it I see honesty, humility, weakness, strength, trouble, help, compassion, love, truth, distress, comfort, failure, love, security, redemption, safety, trust, humanity, Divinity, companionship, readiness, concern, friendship, loyalty, turmoil, peace, fear, panic, relief and so much more. 

If I'm not careful, my thoughts can produce a raging, seemingly life-threatening storm in me. When my thoughts turn fearful and anxious, they can feel as tumultuous as the stormy seas and I can find myself being quickly drowned by them. I don't even have to leave dry ground or the boat to find myself in a tsunami sized inner storm!

I was reminded by a precious fellow woman on the journey (MAC) of the immediate comfort and peace of God when we cry out to Him in the moments when our thoughts are overwhelming. It made me think of the story of Peter. I had to see if I could find a picture of the moment when Jesus reached down and saved Peter from a life-threatening storm. You can read it for yourself in Matthew 14:22-33.

Just looking at this picture brings so much calm to me. Sometimes it helps me to visualize the nearness and readiness of God to help us. Reminds me of a promise found in Psalm 46:

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed,

and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.

Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake

with its swelling....Be still and know that I am God"

 Psalm 46:1-3, 10  

I have to say one more thing about the word, immediately. I'm a word person. I love words. I noticed something very interesting about it as I was looking at the word and reflecting on it. I noticed smack dab within the word itself, was the word, mediate.I looked up the word, mediate, in the dictionary and it means, "To intervene between...to resolve, to settle by action...to bring about peace," (American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd College Edition). I don't know about you, but I find it so comforting to know that God acts on our behalf. He stands between us and the storm. He mediates on our behalf to always settle us and even sometimes to settle the storm and bring about peace. When God brings immediate comfort and peace to our inner storms, it's as though He is saying even by His mere presence, "I am your mediator. I AM He who stands between you and this storm! Be still and KNOW that I AM God!" 

Wow!!! I am amazed....all over again!    

Thank you, MAC for reminding me that God's help is always immediate!