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She followed him through the fragrant, shady trail, pine needles crunching beneath her feet, rhododendron against the hills. They stopped to admire the view below – rocky, steep ravines, cascading waterfalls, rivers.
“Fear not, for I am with you”.
“But I cannot see you!” She cried, “How can I know for sure?”
Silence.
Dark, cold, dank.
One foot in front of the other, plodding, stumbling, trembling.
“Why?! Why must I go this way?!” She pleaded.
Another voice, from up above, “Let God be your comfort, let Him be your peace!” This voice – she knew it. A friend from the mountain top who had been fortunate enough to stay.
A friend who wasn’t walking this dark, terrible path.
“You don’t understand! You don’t know what it’s like!” Her voice, raw with suffering.
“Be not dismayed, for I am your God.” He spoke from up ahead.
She curled into a ball up against the rough, sharp rock wall. She lacked neither strength nor courage to go forward.
Alone, afraid, agonizing.
“I can’t do this.” She uttered, buried in her grief.
Another came alongside her, offering food and drink, sustenance.
“I will strengthen you, I will help you.”
Revived, she dared hope and yet, could not arise.
He picked her up, carrying her through the darkness.
“I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
She sensed His peace and she received it, seeping through her soul, permeating her being.
And she knew.
She would make it through the darkness. Resources beyond her understanding He made available.
She would trust when she could not see, and although the path continued dark, her mind received the voices above, cheering her on, encouraging. They would not always be with her.
But He would.
“Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Linking up with: Mama Moments Mondays, #RaRa link up, Titus 2sday link up, Tuesday Talk, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop,Coffee and Conversation, A Little R and R,Three Word Wednesday, Women with intention Wednesdays, #Livefree Thursdays, Grace and Truth Link Up, Spiritual Sundays, Life giving link up, A little R & R
I love it!!!!
-your biggest fan
BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you so much for sharing. ~Sarah (visiting from Radical Femininity)
Thanks, BF! :)
Thanks for stopping by, Sarah! :)
It's like you read my mind this morning. I've been up since 3:30 because fear has gripped me the last 12 hours. I'm trying to give it over to God and been up praying since then, but that flesh of mine wants to keep taking it back. I opened your feed this morning and there is that scripture verse God wants me to hear AGAIN!
I've always loved the verse that says "They go from strength to strength". And that's exactly how we walk, from His strength provided each step of the way.
Hi, Ruthie, I'm not sure if this is just on my screen, but your posts are spilling onto the wood background. Since the words are already light, it's making them hard to read so I can't see what they say. Maybe try a different format? Thank you for stopping at my blog. Your heart for Jesus is wonderful. I wish I could read everything. :-( I'm sorry. Blessings to you.
Michelle, I will be praying for you and your fear. I know fear on a daily basis, he and I are well acquainted. You are going to be very tired by this evening! May God bless and comfort you, friend.
Thank you for letting me know, Kim, I've not heard that from anyone else but I'll check it out. Thanks for trying to read! :/
Psalm 84:7, what a great verse to reference for our fear! Thank you for the reminder!
Ruthie, this is so encouraging. Thank you for reminding me that God is always with us, even in the darkness.
Thanks for stopping by, Trudy! Our Shepherd can be trusted, even in the dark.
Such a beautiful post!
My life verse which was born out of anxious tendencies is from Deuteronomy. "For I go before you and am with you, I will never leave you or forsake you."
Thank you for the beautiful illustration of God with us, in the midst of joys, trials and triumphs. All Glory to Him!
Thanks for sharing!
Ruthie – I'm so glad you linked up at #ThreeWordWednesday. I'm also so glad we don't have to do this life alone. Good words here.
Thank you for your kind words, Karen! Yes He is with us, right through it all! Thank you for sharing your life verse. We all have fear tendencies, and we need God's Word to refute those fears – so many of which are imagined!
Kristin, thank you for hosting! I just found you today and love your blog and your testimony. Thanks for reading and for your comment! :)
Your neighbor from #livefree hopping over! Beautiful word picture…truly beautiful!! Blessings!
Fear Not! I believe and I am not afraid.
Hi Ruthie, how are you?
God Bless
This is beautiful. I was drawn in and listening with my heart as my eyes soaked up the words. You have a gift for telling a story and teaching a valuable truth.
Blessings!
Dawn
Thank you for your sweet comment, neighbor!
Ifeoma! So nice to "see" you again! I'm doing well, friend, thank you so much for sharing my post and for your support! How are you?
Thank you for your kind words, Dawn! I appreciate you stopping by to say hello!
On of my favorite chapters from Isaiah. If we truly believe we have nothing to fear, for He is with us.
Thanks for sharing on the Shine Blog Hop!
Isaiah is so comforting. Fear is a battle of the mind. Thanks for reading and for your comment!
Found you via #LifeGivingLinkup. What a beautiful piece. You are a gifted storyteller. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely beautiful. Isaiah calls me too. Visiting from Sue Detweiler's today.
May I invite you to #DanceWithJesus linkup each Friday? SusanBMead.com/blog-2 if so
Great word! With Him we are FEARLESS!… (Or at least we move forward in faith overcoming fear every step of the way :)
Well said – we can't really save up courage, but God is with us step by step. Thanks for stopping by, Sue!
Thanks, Susan and yes, I'll be sure to link up! :)
Thank you for your kind words, Christi, so nice to meet you!
This is such a touching interpretation of one of my favorite verses. I appreciate the way you've illustrated the progression of God's beautiful promises to us: He is with us, He is for us, He strengthens us, then helps us, and then picks us up and holds us in His hand. What more could we ask for? I'm glad you linked this up with us at Grace & Truth!
Yes, Jennifer, He's got us – if we'll only take the time to recognize it, believe it, and rest in it. Well He's got us whether we do that or not, but it's the step we need to take! Thanks for your comment, I appreciate you!