He knows each of us intimately...

A few days ago, I made a promise to my daughter to help her out. She is a young professional who cannot take off time from work.  As a home-maker, however, my own days are flexible.  Her request was simple.  It required that I set aside a morning and drive to the municipal offices of our sister city to open up a Municipal services account for their newly purchased home.

Although this is a simple task, it becomes rather complicated for me personally.  My anxiety condition plays up seriously in situations like this. I battle in unfamiliar environments and then, out of irrational fear, struggle to drive. In this case, I was so scared that I battled to sleep last night.  I know that my fear is irrational, but there was no way that I was going to renege on my promise to my beautiful daughter.  As a human being, I need and want to be helpful. Somehow, I would muster up the resolve to tackle this small, important task. 

When I opened up my bible this morning, I was drawn to the story in the gospel of John where Jesus’s disciples were on a boat when their own storm built up. (Jn 6:16-21):

“A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water, and they were terrified.  But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

It’s a beautiful story of connection with our Master when things become scary. So, this morning, I thought I’d take God at His word and try to apply this teaching to my own situation. In the solitude of my kitchen prayed out loud,

“Please Father, would you help me overcome my fear and help me through this task.”

Soon I was on the road:

I managed the 60km drive without incident. I found the place easily.  Although I wasn’t sure where exactly the place was, there were friendly people to guide me at every turn. When I finally found the offices, the person attending to me was extremely helpful too. It was her first day on the job and I was her first customer.  It was as if she had been specifically chosen to be there for this particular situation.

My heart skipped a beat when I discovered that I would require a second set of signed documents. I only had one. This would require yet another trip to the same offices on yet another day.  “Please, Lord, help me.” I smiled and asked her if there was any way she could help me…?

She did. She stopped and went around to the back to consult her manager. She was soon back to indicate that they’d made a plan for me and would use the documents I had already supplied.  “Thank you, Father!”

In the end, the account was opened successfully and my trip home was without incident too.  It wasn’t long before I was back in my own ‘safe’ surroundings. Task completed!

“Thank you, Lord, that I can call on you anytime, any day, any hour, with any aspect of my life – even the smallest of them all.  Thank you that your promises never fail - that you will always be there for me, no matter what. Amen.”

May God bless you today as you walk with Him.