Can you rest in the Lord when your world is spinning? Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 . . .

My doctor sent me to the ER in 2015 to get a scan to rule out a brain bleed. I suffered with a bout of Vertigo for a 24-hour period and he wanted to play it safe. Since 2015, I have not experienced that level of dizziness until last week. Back and forth, in-between normal days, I experienced the vertigo. Then on the day I was going to get help from the Chiropractor – it was a totally unsettling day, so much so I wondered if I should be headed to the ER instead.

My peace was waning (Philippians 4:7). There was not a spirit of rejoicing (Philippians 4:4). The Apostle Paul’s command was never, rejoice if you feel like it! And of course, he isn’t saying to rejoice in the circumstances but in the person of Jesus Christ knowing He causes the rain to fall on the believer as well as the sinner, but He causes ALL things for the believer to work for good (Romans 8:28)! My mind was literally whirling: Would this go on much longer? My grandson, whom I normally keep while his mama works, had to go out of town to stay with my other daughter. Anxious thoughts began to run through my head, “will I be better by the time he comes back?” I had a choice, where was I going to fix my thoughts, on all the uncertainty or on the certainty that the Word of God is living, active and trustworthy?

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 . . . So, determined not to let the enemy wrap me in his vises (Ephesians 6:10 & 11), I began focusing my mind and heart on God’s Word, praying for peace, and thanking the Lord for being with me. Tears may have streaked my face, I may have called my husband home from work since I had my grandson, and anxious thoughts may have continued to try and bully their way to the forefront of my mind, but the Lord was true to His Word. And each time as I prayed and sang choruses redirecting my thinking while praising Jesus, I was able to have a peace that God was totally in control even though my world seemed out of control. The Apostle Paul wasn’t just scribbling a note while a prisoner, he was the instrument of God writing a message of joy even in hard times and teaching how to live in the light of His presence with a heart of gratitude. Paul’s letter wasn’t fluff, or a happy-touchy-feely article. His command to rejoice in the Lord was a radical idea in the face of imprisonment, persecution and even death, but that is what God calls for, hearts that are open to Him sitting on the throne! Even if your world is spinning, what better way to show the true peace of Christ through a life standing firm in the mist of unrest! My sis-in-law is such a wonderful example of taking one day at a time in the mist of uncertainty. She is standing firm! And I want to be like her!