Walk on in Courage

“But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.’” Matt. 14:27 NIV
                I was afraid, so afraid. My daughter, thousands of miles away, was on the run. She was with a team of young people who planned to work at a Christian run orphanage for six months. However, only three days into their time there, the immigration authorities had come to the orphanage and told them, “You are here on a tourist visa. Tourists travel. They do not stay at one place for days. Are you tourists or missionaries?”

                 Now, my daughter was always moving. As she and her team travelled from remote village to remote village, they were preaching and sharing the Gospel. They traveled in a crowded jeep along dusty roads. Road conditions in this part of Asia were often dangerous. The team had very limited access to the internet.  I was often frightened for my daughter in those long months. There is little a mother can do when her fears are being played out in an Asian country way beyond her reach.

 In my prayer time during those months, the song by John Michael Talbot, “Be Not Afraid” continually came to my mind.  The words, “You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way” are followed by “Be not afraid, I go before you always. Come follow me, and I will give you rest” This was a blessed reminder of God’s love for my daughter. He was always before her.

He is also with me. Through those months of little contact I learned that he gives my anxious heart rest as I trust Him. In all our lives God walks before us, leading us. In times of fear and doubt we can look to the One who leads, put our feet where he tells us, and be confident that He will give us rest.