Dread
By Lisa Boyer
“So it is My word that goes out from My mouth:
it will not return to Me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose
for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)
By Lisa Boyer
“So it is My word that goes out from My mouth:
it will not return to Me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose
for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)
Dread. It’s such an ugly word and an
even uglier emotion. It crept up on me slowly, but then I was overwhelmed by
it.
A while back, I had an appointment I didn’t want to keep, but couldn’t bring myself to cancel. The dread had begun as a simple thought, “I don’t want to do this,” but it quickly grew into “I can’t do this.” It kept me up the night before until finally I fell asleep praying…no, crying out to God to do something…anything.
Yet there it was, the morning of the appointment, and the dread was still with me. Again, I began to pray and cry out to God. Through my turmoil came the fleeting thought that I should stop praying and read my Bible. But, I was up an hour early and I just wanted to use that time to pray…pray until something happened. Before long, the fleeting thought became persistent: I should read my Bible now. But I knew my answer wasn’t going to be in today’s Bible reading. What kind of answer to my dread was I going to find in Matthew chapter 11?
So, to calm that persistent thought (but more to prove that Matthew didn’t contain the answer to my prayer), I postponed my prayer time, opened my Bible and began to read Matthew 11. Jesus and John the Baptist, no comfort there…unrepentant cities, certainly no comfort there…rest for the weary, wait, rest for the weary in Matthew 11? What is this? Verse 28 & 29: “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest…I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (NIV)
That was me…weary and burdened! I closed my Bible and returned to prayer. This time, I knew what to pray and how to pray. I talked to my gentle Savior about my burden, my concern, my worry and how it had turned to dread. Then I left it all in His capable hands and accepted His rest. My dread was gone, replaced by rest and peace.
Looking back, I have to laugh because I was convinced that I wouldn’t find comfort in my daily Bible reading, I suppose because it wasn’t a Psalm or Proverb, but God is so amazing and His timing is always perfect.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Take a moment to reflect on those times when dread begins to fill your heart. Is there a pattern you can identify and begin to change?
2. Think back to a time God used His Word to perfectly address your circumstances. Thank Him for His intimate awareness of and kindness toward you through that experience.
FURTHER READING:
A while back, I had an appointment I didn’t want to keep, but couldn’t bring myself to cancel. The dread had begun as a simple thought, “I don’t want to do this,” but it quickly grew into “I can’t do this.” It kept me up the night before until finally I fell asleep praying…no, crying out to God to do something…anything.
Yet there it was, the morning of the appointment, and the dread was still with me. Again, I began to pray and cry out to God. Through my turmoil came the fleeting thought that I should stop praying and read my Bible. But, I was up an hour early and I just wanted to use that time to pray…pray until something happened. Before long, the fleeting thought became persistent: I should read my Bible now. But I knew my answer wasn’t going to be in today’s Bible reading. What kind of answer to my dread was I going to find in Matthew chapter 11?
So, to calm that persistent thought (but more to prove that Matthew didn’t contain the answer to my prayer), I postponed my prayer time, opened my Bible and began to read Matthew 11. Jesus and John the Baptist, no comfort there…unrepentant cities, certainly no comfort there…rest for the weary, wait, rest for the weary in Matthew 11? What is this? Verse 28 & 29: “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest…I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (NIV)
That was me…weary and burdened! I closed my Bible and returned to prayer. This time, I knew what to pray and how to pray. I talked to my gentle Savior about my burden, my concern, my worry and how it had turned to dread. Then I left it all in His capable hands and accepted His rest. My dread was gone, replaced by rest and peace.
Looking back, I have to laugh because I was convinced that I wouldn’t find comfort in my daily Bible reading, I suppose because it wasn’t a Psalm or Proverb, but God is so amazing and His timing is always perfect.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Take a moment to reflect on those times when dread begins to fill your heart. Is there a pattern you can identify and begin to change?
2. Think back to a time God used His Word to perfectly address your circumstances. Thank Him for His intimate awareness of and kindness toward you through that experience.
FURTHER READING:
Lisa is married to Ted and they have
two sons in college. Lisa serves as an event photographer at Oakwood and
wherever else she is needed.
