There Was Jesus: When I Couldn’t See It

“Hindsight is 20/20!”

How many times have I said that to myself after something happens or after a lesson I’ve learned? Many times. When things feel chaotic, uncertain or scary, we often act on impulse in the hope of controlling a situation; we can lash out, run away or do any number of things in the midst of a crisis. That’s very normal but it can result in some sad things. We live in a skeptical world and it feels like lately, it’s harder and harder to feel Jesus’ presence. Jesus is with us at all times, even in the moments where we can’t blatantly see His work. Oftentimes, when we come out on the other side of a crisis, we look back and see that Jesus was with us the whole time, and that He used the situation for His good — that’s a ‘Hindsight is 20/20” moment. We need to start trusting and believing that Jesus is with us while experiencing something chaotic, uncertain or scary. We can remind ourselves that Jesus is with us by looking at His Word.  Joshua 1:9 tells us to be “strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Another way to feel His presence is to give thanks. When everything is crashing around us, that is really, really hard. With every inhale and exhale we take, we have something to give thanks for ⁠— breath in our lungs ⁠—  so cling to that when you can’t see Jesus working in a moment to be reminded He’s with you. 

My Thoughts

I don’t know about you, but my tendency when the going gets rough is to hide away, cry, read and sometimes argue with God about the circumstances. I am learning to sit still, read my Bible, recall Scriptures that I have memorized and use those verses to remind myself that Jesus is right there with me. We aren’t Thomas the disciple who doubted until He actually saw Jesus. If we look, we can see Him working in our lives every day. It’s just that we get so busy that we don’t take time to look. And then when a crisis comes, we try to handle things ourselves first and then, in utter desperation, we turn to God. I am trying to train myself to turn to God first. Medical issues? Talk to God. Scary things I have to do? Talk to God. Lonely and missing my children? Talk to God.

My memory verse for this week is helping me to remember that Jesus gave us a Helper, one who reminds us of His teachings and His presence with us.

I was challenged by our Sunday school teacher to start memorizing a verse a week. I am on week 5, and so far, so good. My first reaction was that I am too old to put anything else into my brain. I mean, I go into the kitchen and have to look around to try to remember why I’m there. But, the Caleb, our teacher, encouraged us, and the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and told me He would help me. And He has! I found that I can put my verses on a notecard and take them with me as we travel to our various appointments. I say them first thing in the morning and last thing before bed at night. And since I am a visual learner, writing the verses out several times helps, as well as having the verse with an image as portrayed here.

I say all of that about memory verses to let you know that these verses are helping me to remember to stay calm and focused on God. I don’t like change, of any kind, at all, ever! So, yesterday, when appointments had to be shuffled, my physical response was to have a soaring blood pressure. Then, I paused, did some nice deep breathing and focused on God. I told myself that God was with me and recited some of my verses. My heart stopped pounding and slowly my head stopped hurting, too. All good news for a stroke survivor! And a reason to be thankful, which I agree is a way to stay focused on God and His power in your life.

If you need help with staying focused on the Lord, I strongly recommend memorizing Scriptures. God’s Word is a constant source of strength, even when the world seems to be spinning the wrong way.