The Nations: Not My Struggle
If you read my blog last week then hopefully you’ll remember I wrote about how God is still in control even when our foundations feel like they’re being shaken and we’re unsure of what to do and how to live. God is still over the nations and He is still on His throne.

But can I tell you, honestly, that that’s not my issue. I have struggled with that thought in the past but one of the blessings of studying history is seeing God’s hand over and over again in the midst of the chaos. You realize how God uses even the darkest of times to show His light. So, I’m not worried about the nations or whether or not God is on the throne.

My Struggle: What About Me
My struggle is, what does this mean for myself, my family, my kids? What about us in this plan, Lord? “God, I know You’re in charge of the nations, but how do I know You’ll take care of my family too?”

That’s what I had been wrestling with these past weeks.

But I’d like to share with you something that happened to me recently.

The Story
Wednesday night is AWANA night for us and on this particular Wednesday night Bryan had taken the 3 older kids to AWANA and kept the baby so I could go grocery shopping alone. I had joked with him to keep his phone on him at all times because I was in our little black Honda Civic which had just started to leak gas. Not a ton but enough.

I finished up shopping at the first store and, sure enough, the car wouldn’t start. I picked up the phone to call Bryan when it immediately began to ring. He was calling me to say, “I really think we need to take the car in soon to get it checked out.” Sure honey, how about tonight?

I hung up with Bryan and then saw my mom walk out of the store. MOM (such a blessing to see your mother in a moment like that)! She and I chatted while I waited for Bryan and I mentioned that I needed to finish grocery shopping but I was worried the older kids would freak out if Bryan or I wasn’t there after AWANA was done. Shortly thereafter Bryan showed up and he decided to wait for the tow truck. My mom ended up taking me to Meijer (the other grocery store) so I could finish my grocery shopping and then she headed to AWANA to make sure my kids were okay until Bryan arrived.

Now, this may seem like no big deal but you have to understand – this happened on Wednesday night. Just the night before, on Tuesday night, Bryan had been in Grand Rapids (2 hours away) with the same car and it was fine – no leaking, no issues, nothing. The very next night, Wednesday night, it broke down.

Later on I started thinking about all the little details that perfectly fell into place that night and I was amazed. Not only did we NOT have to get our car towed from Grand Rapids or even fixed in Grand Rapids (with Bryan stuck there), we did not even have to get our car towed from our house in Scottville (several miles away). By being at this specific grocery store our car was just 1 mile away from the mechanic. ONE. MILE. Yes, it took up some time and required some juggling of details but our night, really, was not interrupted. My kids were fine at AWANA and I was still able to get the groceries I needed. And as an added perk a friend saw me, realized we were having car troubles and went in and bought me chocolate so I had something sweet to munch on. 🙂

As I was thinking about all of this Lord said to me, “I’ve got this, Erika. I’ve got you. I can work out all these details and make sure that you and your family are okay. I can take care of the big stuff – the nations – and the little stuff, the small details. Trust Me. I see you and I care. It’s okay.”

(Now that does not always mean my car will break down 1 mile from the mechanic or that all the struggles will easily be dealt with. All I’m saying is this: God sees, God knows and He is holding me and all my details, even the small ones)

Close to His Heart
In last week’s post, there is one part of Isaiah 40 I didn’t comment on – while most of Isaiah is focusing on the hugeness of God and His awesome power and control, there is one part that says, ‘God is like a shepherd who carries His lambs close to His heart. He gently leads those that have young.’

I have young and I need “gently” a lot right now!

God sees you, Believer, and even with all that’s going on in the world He still has His eyes on you. He will hold you. He will carry you. He’s got this. He’s got you. Trust Him.