FIVE—FOUR—THREE—TWO—

I’m teetering at the top of a 130’ vertical rock face high in the mountains of New Mexico, knees shaking, heart pounding, and after two false starts am expected to take that first courageous step at the count of

–O-N-E—to begin my rappel down the cliff—face first!

It’s an Australian rappel: a controlled descent, face first using ropes, off a vertical surface. Standing at the top, I wondered how I could even walk facing down a vertical cliff. Believe me, it goes against all natural instincts!

Trusting to do what appeared impossible was huge, even with the assurance that my belayer on the ground would do his job with the ropes, and that those ropes would hold me if I fell.

But beating out my fear, I took that first step, and scampering down the cliff safely to the ground was an exhilarating thrill I’ll never forget. Especially for a 24-year-old city girl who had never even been hiking!

Trusting, even when things seem impossible, can be difficult. Many of us  struggle with trusting God—who we cannot see—for what we cannot see.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.  (Proverbs 3:5-6) 

This well-known passage may come to mind before giving our situation or need to God in prayer. But how often, right after doing so, does our mind quickly begin formulating scenarios and well-crafted plans of how we think, or hope, God will work?

Like taking that first step off the cliff—trusting with full surrender is key to truly trusting God.

Wrestling with solutions from within our own intrinsic inability—or leaning on our own understanding—results in not trusting Him.

Only when we relinquish our issue to the Lord with genuine finality does it assure that He can go to work. He meets our “God, I’m done with this, You have to do the rest” with ease, once we step out of His way.

A pastor I know shared with me how he learned this through a situation earlier this year. The ministry needed $12,000 to cover previous and pending expenses for its work in Africa. After much prayer, it was coming down to the wire and still funds were lacking.

“Thursday I fully surrendered my prayer of trust to God, and finalized it with Proverbs 3:5,” he said. “Friday I rested in its peace. Saturday morning the Lord told me to go to the post office. There I found a letter of Ephesians 3:20 proportion. It contained a check for $20,000!”

Are you trusting God with all your heart, or are you still hanging on to things?

We can trust God for what we cannot see. We simply need to fully surrender our needs and situations into His capable hands, get out of His way, and let Him do the work only He can do!

Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton

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Throughout the summer, early morning birdsongs often welcome us into the day. I’m learning to recognize many of the varied species and sounds of the birds right in my own backyard.

Our friend Rich S. has helped me appreciate our feathered friends much more. A retired outdoor educator, Rich now takes groups on nature walks, or “birding” expeditions, watching and listening for up to 50 different species on an outing!

Earlier this summer, I discovered the piping plover on the beaches of Maine. Signs instructed visitors to stay away from restricted areas where the birds were nesting.

Unlike many species, plover parents don’t bring food back to the nest for their young. Rather, the chicks head out along the shoreline right after birth to forage for food themselves, up until about four weeks when they can fly.

When I spotted one of these frail little creatures scurrying along the shoreline at low tide, I thought how amazing it is that they survive. I then recalled the subzero days last winter, when I saw small fragile birds gathering at our feeder and flitting across the snow.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus reminds us of how valuable we are to God by illustrating simple truths from nature. As the baby plover doesn’t go uncared for, so God promises to provide for us.

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?  Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?   (Matthew 6:25-26)

What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.  (Matthew 10:29-31) 

When needs surface, it seems our default setting often is to worry rather than to trust God. But the truth is God provides for the birds of the field!

If His smallest of creatures’ needs are met, how much more can and will He provide for His most valued ones—us!

How wonderful it is that God has put birds everywhere. Whether you live in the inner city, a small town, a rural farm, or the North woods, you will hear and see these creatures.

Observing the birds around you can serve as a daily invitation to trust God—and a reminder of how valuable you are to Him.

Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton

Photo Credit Piping Plover: Cameron Darnell

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Did you know statistics reveal that 75-90% of all doctor visits are for stress-related illnesses?

The pressures of life are constantly bearing down on us. We all face needs that can result in anxieties about our health, finances, safety, relationships, the future. 

While people try many things to bring peace to their lives, Jesus’ words in John 14:27 remain:

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” 

The peace of Christ is something we must invest in daily through our relationship with Him. Just because we were at peace yesterday, doesn’t guarantee we will be today.

This short video offers some great practical tips to more consistently experience God’s peace.

The message beautifully complements Pathway of Peace: Living in a Growing Relationship with Christ.

Enjoy!

Copyright © 2017 Cheryl Elton

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“You’re not making me want to do this,” I uneasily laughed. The pre-op nurse stood before me reciting a litany of risks of surgery: from possible infection, to cardiac arrest . . . to death.

For a split second, fear gripped my heart. This was elective surgery. Do I really want to go through with this?

Let’s face it . . . surgery brings anxiety.

The uncertainties, the unknowns, the disruption of routines, the fear of pain . . . The hidden things in our hearts that leave us teetering on the brink of fear often surface during this time.

Last Tuesday morning, getting to the day surgery center was for me the most challenging part of the day.

Because of the newness of the procedure I was having on my foot, the closest doctor was 3 hours from my home. This left plenty of time on the drive over with my husband for anxieties to brew—exacerbated by an early departure on little sleep, the beginnings of a headache, and trying not to think about the restriction on food and drink—(tough for us breakfast people!)

Yet as I gazed out at the rising sun, a thought came: When was the last time the sun failed to come up?

A daily testament to God’s faithfulness, the sun rises each morning, signaling another new day—and not one of us has any control over it!

I considered the sky, the clouds, the trees, and reflected on the awesomeness of God’s creation.

Surely, I am part of that creation! Couldn’t the One who so awesomely and wonderfully made the amazing intricacies of my body—He who designed it to function and heal—see me through this time? 

In that moment, I started thanking God for the blessings all around me. I began praising Him for who He is, all He’s made, the life He’s given me.

Praise quickly gave rise to prayer, and one by one, I turned my anxious concerns over to Him, leaving each in His capable hands.

By the time we reached the surgery center, I realized my headache had lifted, my heart was at peace.

In Psalm 77, Asaph was consumed with distress, self-concern, worries, complaining. So troubled he could not speak, he wondered, where is God? “Will He be favorable no more?” 

But then he recalled times he had experienced the greatness and goodness of God:

“I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds . . . Who is so great a God as our God?”  (Psalm 77:11-13)

Asaph found that as long as he looked within himself and let his mind ramble with worries and “what-ifs,” he would be miserable.

When his focus returned to God and His greatness, Asaph’s problems shrank into insignificance.

As I prepared for my surgery, I learned again that I could choose: to keep dwelling on my self-centered anxious thoughts, or to put my mind on “things above.”

God was with me. He would see me through this time, like He has so many others.

Is He not faithful to His promises?

“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5b)

No matter how big or small, how routine or complex your surgery is, remember—as you prepare—God is there to provide what you need and give you peace.

Thankfulness and praise open the doors to His presence. Prayer opens the floodgates to His peace.

^“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Copyright © 2017 Cheryl Elton

For related posts, click on Topic Tags for “training,” “worry,” “praise.”

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My family comes from a long line of worry warts. Not the mild concern type worry, but the all-consuming hand-wrenching worry that puts knots in your stomach and keeps you up at night.

My dad was a master worrier. It intensified as he got older and moved to a nursing home. He worried about me driving at night, about his grandkids making good choices, about the weather tomorrow.

He would often say with a smile “I have a lot of time on my hands. I need something to worry about!”

He wasn’t alone. Many people’s lives are consumed with worry.

The word “worry” in the Bible is an interesting and revealing study. From the Greek merimnao—it is literally a “dividing of the mind.” In God’s view, worrying is unbelief, the opposite of faith. It divides the mind, pulling it in two opposing directions.

Can we be trusting God and worrying at the same time?

Used five times in the latter part of Matthew 6, the King James Version (KJV) translates merimnao as “take no thought,” while other versions like the New Living Translation (NLT) use the word “worry.” Either way, it is saying “Don’t be divided in your mind . . .”

“. . . I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear.” (vs. 25) “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (vs.27) “And why worry about your clothing?” (vs.28) “So don’t worry about these things, saying What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?” (vs. 31) “So don’t worry about tomorrow . . .” (vs. 34) (NLT) 

Our minds aren’t to be divided between worrying about our need and trusting God’s promised provision. In other words, we can’t be living in the unbelief of worry and the belief of faith at the same time!

Philippians 4:6-7 is another familiar passage in which God tells us not to worry, and what to do to instead experience His peace:

“Don’t worry (merimnao—or “be anxious (KJV)) about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (NLT) 

When consumed with worry, we’re usually trying to figure things out ourselves, leaving God out of the picture. Prayerfully living in the Lord’s presence gives us peace, and eliminates our need to worry. He never leaves us. Jesus Christ lives to make intercession to God on our behalf.

Worrying is imagining the future without God. 

As the shepherd leads the sheep and they follow, His presence goes before us into our day. 

Knowing that, what have we to worry about?

Copyright © 2015 Cheryl Elton

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