My husband, two children and I moved to Saudi Arabia in 1978. For one of our repats, we planned a week in Paris, then a visit with my three brothers in Indiana before going to Tennessee and then Louisiana. From Paris, we flew 9 hours non-stop to O’Hare Airport in Chicago, where we would make our connecting flight to nearby Indianapolis and meet my brother Buf for the ride to Dugger.
While today we could fly directly from Paris to Indianapolis because it’s grown and has international flights daily, in 1980, there were no such flights! At O’Hare, we walked through the jetway to the arrivals hall, tired and anxious to find the right gate in this huge airport for our next flight.
Of course, we had to make a grand entrance! As soon as we entered, 5-year-old Darryl, free from restraints, threw his pooh bear in the air and it landed on a light fixture up close to the ceiling! I said “Keep walking!” He was audibly upset! Douglas asked someone for help. They brought a ladder and retrieved the bear and all was well again.
Then we took the people mover, which transported us from the main terminal to the lounge area where we would board our next plane. When we got there, I looked out the window! Oh no! There was no jetway outside the exit door! Steps led down to the concrete tarmac, wet with puddles because of a huge thunderstorm with lightning and windblown rain! And there was no big jet waiting for us. There was just a little bitty airplane with 2 propellers! Oh, my!
When you walk from an exit gate down a jetway or passenger boarding bridge from the terminal to the plane, you go directly into the waiting jet, no matter the weather because it’s enclosed, like walking down a hallway, from one room to another. You don’t see the cockpit or flight deck. You just see a room with rows of chairs and a screen to watch a movie! You just sit back, relax, and next thing you know, you’re at your destination! It may be a little bit scary for some, but we were used to it by then. But this!
Here we were, ready for Indianapolis, and out that door was a raging storm and a tiny plane! I balked. I cried. I hid in the restroom. I prayed. After a while, Sandi came in and got me and said, “Daddy said you have to come now!”
We were the last ones out the gate. We had to hold an umbrella and carefully walk down the steps to the tarmac, then run across to the tiny plane Douglas had laughingly called a “puddle jumper.” As we climbed the steps up to the plane, we were soaked, even with the umbrellas!
As I entered, I could see the plane’s windshield — and the wipers were going back and forth! I could see the pilots in the cockpit! I turned and there were only a few other passengers.
I was white knuckled. I could almost see myself falling into my grave. I was so scared! Terrified! I needed God’s peace! and His power! I even prayed the plane’s engines wouldn’t start. I really didn’t want to go!
And then the pilot’s voice came to us through the speakers. He said, “I understand that some of you are a little worried about this flight.” (Really?) He continued, “Let me explain. First, be sure you are buckled in safely and remain seated! Then, it’ll be bumpy as we climb through the storm’s turbulence, and then we’ll rise above it. There we’ll maintain that altitude until we get past the storm. Everything will be okay.”
I kept praying, “Oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord! Help us!”
Well, every storm runs out of rain. We keep going. Turbulence? Climb and maintain. Rise up and keep going. Pray and praise. Each time, because they keep coming. How do we do that? Talk to God, that’s how you pray. Quote scripture, that’s one way to praise God! Keep at it so the devil will leave and the storm will run its course. God will hold us.
The pilot on this flight knew what he was doing, God helped him get through that storm, and after all the bumps, we landed safely in Indianapolis. My brother Buf drove us to his home where we had a lovely time and almost forgot the terrible flight that got us there.
Fear isn’t something new. Fear goes way back to Eden where Satan tempted Eve. His question to her put fear in her heart, when he asked, “Did God really say that? I don’t believe He meant it.” So she disobeyed God, believing the devil was right. Fear is a sneaky thing and hurts us if we cannot overcome it.
Praying when we’re afraid might have us asking God for help or we might just surrender to Him. In 2 Chronicles 20:12, King Jehosophat prayed, “Lord, we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you!” It would be wonderful to have a solid faith like that and pray like that, asking for guidance. Sometimes, though, we are so frightened or bewildered, we can’t even say “God help me do this!” We just have to say “God, You have to do it!”
For example, last Friday, my son-in-law went to the DMV to renew his driver’s license. The woman said he couldn’t because of a flag on his name. He came to me because the flag said he had not paid the insurance for a year on a car he no longer owned because he had sold it to me! I had given it to my grandson and we had done all the paperwork and had it insured. After tracking down several insurance companies, notary, sheriff, and finally the wrecker service, he was able to get some papers that he thought would help prove his innocence so he wouldn’t have to pay that terrible fine!
Meanwhile, I sat in the truck while he went to the various places. I was just there to pay the fine if necessary. I prayed, “Lord, I don’t know what to do. I’m not asking You to guide me on this one, Lord. I’m asking You to take care of it somehow!”
We returned to the DMV, he went in and when he came out, he was smiling. (Here’s God’s explanation because only God could orchestrate this!) He said the people who had owned the car before him had not cancelled the insurance. They had just quit paying. Oh my! Only God could fix it so quickly. And with no fine!
I told my son-in-law, “I hope you don’t think I was just sitting in the truck doing nothing! I was praying, and I asked God to take care of it because I didn’t know what to do! God did it! Let’s praise Him!” And so we did, right there!
I hope that we will always pray through storms and come out and praise God afterwards. Through each storm, we are not alone.
Praising God may involve quoting scriptures that comfort us and remind us of God’s promises. Here are a few I like. My favorite is Psalm 91. I love the entire psalm, but my favorite verse is number 4: “He shall cover me with His feathers, and under His wings I shall take refuge.'”
Deut. 3:22 “You must not fear, for the Lord your God himself fights for you.”
This verse to Israel when they needed it tells them “God wins!” We can hold on to this. God fights our battles, so we need to get out of the way! Choose faith over fear and watch God. It’s not about giving up — it’s giving over to the One who controls it all anyway!
Deut. 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, so do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Moses gave the reins to Joshua and assured him that God never fails, never leaves, never lets go, never quits, and never changes. Focus on Him.
Psalm 23:4 “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Those darkest times are when we need to remember that God is there, with us!
Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
Faith over fear is a decision we have to make before the storm. It’s kind of like this, if I can explain. When I was sponsor for the SADD club at school, I attended a seminar and learned things to teach the students. One thing they emphasized was that the DARE instructions had to come by the 5th grade while the students were young and impressionable. We could teach them about the consequences of bad choices and how to make good ones when someone offers or tempts them to do illegal or immoral things. That would help them decide beforehand. The emphasis was on teaching them to decide, or vow, or promise their family and themselves that they would just say NO to drugs and alcohol. They should decide that now, ahead of time, so they wouldn’t have to make a decision when the temptation came. Be prepared, like the Boy Scouts!
Well, it’s the same with fear. If we decide now, ahead of time, that we will trust God’s protection, have faith that He will take care of us in the best way, then we’ll be prepared when the storms hit us. Sometimes, though, we forget that we have decided to follow Jesus and have no fear. Instead, we try to figure everything out. Thank God, He’s patient, waiting and ready to hear our cry and our prayer.
Psalm 56:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”
Choosing faith is trusting God. Things aren’t perfect all the time, but turning to Jesus lets Him calm us. We can’t calm the storm, so we should stop trying to. What we can do is calm ourselves. The storm will pass, whether it’s a real storm or one of fear.
I recall the storm of fear that I had. It was an internal fear no one else could see. It started when the doctor told Douglas that he had stage 4 cancer. Douglas had faith and said, “God’s will be done.” I couldn’t say that at first.
We had just moved and now I had a sewing room in the shop in the backyard where I could work on my quilts. I had a monitor in the room where Douglas was, and when he napped, I went to my sewing room to take my mind off his cancer, and well, to rant to the Lord. I did the ranting and God did the listening. I was scared silly. What would I do without my Douglas?
Then, I don’t know when it happened, but I started ranting less and praying more. That calmed me and I was able to accept that Douglas was dying. I believed God could heal him, but even if He didn’t, I would keep my hope in God.
Douglas had always encouraged me to sew and read and write and travel. And he told me to keep doing that after he would be gone.
Even so, after 6 years, the grief is still here, but the fear is mostly gone. I know Douglas wanted me to keep doing the things I love to do, and to have a purpose. That comforts me. So, I pray, try to rise above the fear and pain, praise God, and keep going. Climb and maintain!
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
God’s hand helps. He holds us! Just be held! I love that! I want God to just hold me!
John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”
These are probably the most comforting words we could ever hear!
Isaiah 41:13 “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.'”
Like a child needs a hand to cross the street, God reaches to help us cross difficult paths of life. Fear isn’t going away any time soon. It’s a battle we face daily but we can win with God by holding on to His promises. Memorize them, post them with notes or pictures or signs or wall hangings so you see them daily.
Proverbs 3:26 in the New Living Translation says: “The Lord is your security!”
All of it! Not just part of it. You don’t need anything else to go with it! You depend on the Creator, not what He created! Those things are temporary, but God is eternal!
Psalm 121:1 says “Where will my help come from?” Where do your eyes go? Who do you look to for help, security, hope? Verse 2 gives us the answer: “My help comes from the Lord.”
When the storms come, we may feel hopeless, but we know God is faithful and that gives us reason for hope! That trust in His power will give us grace to carry through.
We need to stop trying to do more and just believe God will help us overcome our trials. Faith is knowing God can and believing He can, then walking through it because He sees the whole picture. We need not fear, for God is near!
Sometimes our trials and storms come from family, from the job, from friends, even from church members! Opposition can come from many sources. But, it takes opposition to make us rise up and keep going!
So we have storms. There’s the real ones that can destroy everything we love and the internal ones that we fight every day while we carry on with a smile on our face. Those internal storms are just as challenging as storms that pass through and leave destruction.
Although we know that worry is just a waste, most of us worry too much. Look for joy in life. Hold on to your faith. We know our life is all in God’s hands. We believe God will take care of everything, right? So, we should just expect it!
Life doesn’t stop for us and sometimes we have to make the best of a bad situation. I don’t know why God took Douglas and changed my life plans. Like fear, grief is sneaky. I just have to stay on my toes because I can’t climb up flat-footed! Climb and maintain! Have no fear, God is near!
If we ruin our lives by not trusting God, by worrying ourselves into a frenzy, we cannot blame God for it. We need to just trust Him. God responds to our prayers when we’re afraid. He’s for us!
There are two ways to make something bigger. Use a magnifying glass or move closer. Don’t magnify your storm. Instead, move closer to God. The bigger we see God, the more we’ll worship Him and praise Him. So, get closer! Let’s build a fire in our worship!
When we realize that God is the one who fuels the fire in us, then we just worship Him because we can’t comprehend it. His love is so wonderful! Love lays the groundwork for each of our acts of courage.
Although I was fighting those dark clouds and struggles in all the storms, I could smile afterwards because I picture being with Jesus some day, face to face. I hope you can do the same.
So, remember: rise above, keep climbing, keep going, and overcome. Keep praying, keep praising God in worship. Climb and maintain. God will provide. Through our prayers and praise, His love empowers us with all the courage we need to survive the storms and thrive! To thrive means to live life to the fullest!
Douglas worked for a funeral home for ten years. He noticed that sometimes, on the death certificates, the cause of death was given as “failure to thrive.” How sad. Let’s not do that. Let’s live life to the fullest! Stay on our tip-toes and keep climbing! No more white knuckles! Just open hands and open hearts to serve Him and praise Him! Amen? Amen!
Joyce Broyles is a Retired High School Librarian and resides in Jennings, LA ,