Stand Tall
- Shauna Neville
- Jun 8, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 3, 2021
You know the feeling that the floor has been pulled out from underneath you? You did everything you were taught or told to do. You did everything you knew to do. You even followed the Bible. You had the faith to move mountains… or so you thought. You prayed all the right prayers and for all the right things. You "prayed God’s words.” You prayed everything the best prayer books around taught.
And yet the floor that was supposed to be there, nice and tight, just falls out from under you. Everything you believed would happen… just the opposite happened. Maybe your body got an incurable sickness and the healing is no where in sight and it’s looking more and more hopeless every day. Or maybe it was a family member, husband, wife, or one of your kids that got incurably sick and they died.
Maybe you “brought your kids up in the way they should go” and yet they still went another way. Maybe you’ve been born-again and yet struggle with clinical depression every. single. day. of. your. life. It feels like the floor has been dropped out from beneath you. It feels sort of like you’re on a never ending turn of Disneyland’s “Tower of Terror” ride except you aren’t buckled in… there’s no seat… and you’re grabbing at air just to get hold of some sort of normalcy, something stable... some sort of answer to, "Why, God?!"
I wish more than anything that I could give you answers to all your questions of, “Why?!” I wish I could tell you what happened or what the heck went wrong that caused all this. I wish I could give you an “out.” I really do.
Recently, I wanted to call up a friend of mine. She and her husband are going through a similar situation as my husband and I. I wanted to tell her, “Hey, we’re in the same boat now.”
When I thought that, I remembered a picture she had painted a few years prior. It was a picture of a rowboat and in the rowboat was herself and Jesus. I pictured myself climbing into her boat, curling up in a blanket, and just feeling safe with Jesus there. I so desperately wanted to be in that boat that it was almost like I could feel it. I wanted to be in her boat (not her situation), because I knew Jesus was in it.
A lot of us have “a boat” we’re in. To some, it may seem HUGE… to others, the same boat may seem super small. Nevertheless, it’s the boat we’re in and it may feel absolutely horrifying and scary. To others, you may be having a good time… “chilling, reading a book, fishing… “
So, what do we do when this floor gets ripped out from beneath us? Or when we’re walking towards Jesus, like Peter was when he was walking on top of the lake towards Jesus and he goes sinking into the water. What do we do?
Hang tight and let ‘er rip! It’s ok to cry and mourn for a time. It’s ok to feel all the whirlwind of emotions we feel. God created us, with feelings and emotions and it is NOT a sin to feel these things that we feel. These feelings and emotions are part of being human… part of being alive.
I know Jesus felt all sorts of these emotions. The Bible says he was temped in every single way we have ever been. That he was 100% human just like us. I'm certain He was even hangry at one point. And besides that, I don’t know of anyone who has “gone through it” the way Jesus did… he was in such anguish that he was tearing blood. Come on… what kind of turmoil does one need to be feeling emotionally for this to happen?! (Yes, that was emotional, not physical pain at that point.)
It’s ok to hurt and feel the horrid pain that we can feel as humans and with all that life throws at us. It’s ok to sit a pause for a little bit. But if we’re going to make it through the awful pain, we have got to keep our eyes on Jesus. We will only sink into our troubles if we take our focus off of Him.
What did Jesus do in the midst of his most awful turmoil… he was praying… focussing on and talking to the same heavenly Father that we have access to. Remember this man was in such anguish that he was bleeding tears… and yet this man was praying.
He let it all out to God. Told him all of it. He cried it out.
I currently live near the United States' Saguaro National Forest. And as I was driving the other day, one particular saguaro caught my attention. This thing was huge, tall and wide.I have no idea how tall, but they can grow up to about 52ft, I believe.
And there it stood. Tall and straight as can be. Nothing holding it up other than the roots underground that I couldn't see. Nothing above ground to balance it out. From the appearance, it was just this extremely tall, think limb sticking straight up from the ground.
And have you ever seen a picture of a vehicle crashed into a tree. Usually, the tree is standing, unscathed and the vehicle is smashed like an accordion or wrapped around the tree. The tree still unscathed.
As I look at these saguaro cactus and think about how a tree can just stand after it’s been crashed into… I can only think that no matter what comes at me, no matter what crashes into me… the Bible says that I can be like that tree.
That if I put God first and His Word into action, I will be like these trees. It will be as though I’m planted by a stream of water, never shriveling up from thirst, standing tall, unscathed. My leaves will never even wither and fall off. I will be lovely and in full bloom. And in all seasons of my life, good, bad, young, and old. I will also be producing good fruit.
It also tells me that my struggle isn't against flesh and blood enemies, but against the evil rulers of the unseen world and that all I have to do is get dressed with the armor God has supplied for me and I can just stand there... then after the fight is over, because it will be over one day, I will still be standing tall and strong.
It may seem rough, my friends, but keep your eyes and your focus on God, Jesus, and His Word and be full of the Holy Spirit and praying in the Spirit all the time. When you don't feel like praying or you just have no words left, pray in tongues.
Let your roots continue to grow down deep in God and gather the strength they need to keep you up. This, this is the way we will make it.
My Prayer:
"Lord, thank you that you are in our boat with us. Thank you that you calm the waves when it seems we can't take them any longer. Thank you that in you we do still have a hope and a good future ahead of us.
And Lord, no matter what my friend is going through today, whether it be a loss or a sickness or depression or anxiety...whatever it may be, I know that you are the God who sees and know everything that's going on. You know exactly what we need and when we need it. You are never late, but always exactly on time. You are the healer, the provider, the restorer. You are "I AM."
I pray that my friend would dig down deep into you, your presence and your Word. Fill him/her new and fresh with your Holy Spirit, giving them a fresh power and strength to make it through their situation. Lead them and guide them.
That they would hang tight and follow you and your Word and stand tall like these saguaro cactus, drawing from and resting in your strength, their leaves never withering and falling off and bearing good and lasting fruit well into old age.
Bless them and keep them and let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in their life, in the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen."
P.S.
Friend, if you are going through a seemingly hopeless situation and you haven't believed in God. I would encourage you to look in the Bible and see what it says. It'll tell you that each one of us was born as sinner... unworthy to be in the same room as God. It says that he sent his only Son to this world to die a certain death in the hope that we would believe and accept it. Because with that, comes everlasting life in His presence, in the same room as Him...heaven.
Friend, God loves you and he so much wants to be your friend.
P.S.S.
If you have questions about anything I've written or comments, please feel free to message me.
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Love ya,
Shauna
#shaunawritesstuff, #standtall, #dontgoitalone, #saguarocactus, #ephesians6, #John3, #jesuslovesyou, #achristianblog
Very good Shauna.