1 Peter 3:5-6 (CJB)
5 This is how the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves and submit to their husbands,
6 the way Sarah obeyed Avraham, honoring him as her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not succumb to fear.
In 2008 our family was faced with a decision, do we continue in the work of maternity & mother-child housing or do we call it done?. We were transitioning from houseparenting to leadership and facing many challenges and trials "without and within" [Psalm 40:12]. Sitting in the theater with our children the Lord spoke very clearly through a Veggietale movie. The characters were faced with a whirlpool directly in line of where they needed to go. They had to decide to keep going towards the whirlpool, trusting they would be protected and fulfill the mission they were called to or turn back and return to life before the call to this adventure. When they hit the winds and waves the whirlpool disappeared and all fear ceased and the entrance to their destination appeared. They trusted in the One who sent them and made it past their fear.
There have been many occasions when that imagery has come to mind and I am gently reminded by the Holy Spirit that what is in front of me is only a "mirage" and I must not succumb to the fear. Most times the mirage is an illusion,a distraction, or a lie from the enemy meant to dissuade from taking the path where Jesus is leading [especially leading others to freedom]. I hear the crashing of the wind and waves, see what appears to be a chaotic whirlpool I cannot avoid, and feel the increase in tension and resistence. I must choose to believe that going forward it will give way to the will and way of the Lord. I am no longer a daughter of the slave woman, no longer bound to the rules and lies of the enemy; I am, in fact, a daughter of the free woman, given instruction that I can trust, provision that will sustain and hope that will endure.
FInally, as a testament to the goodness of God towards me, I had the honor of attending a conference that was a gift. I was sitting with two beautiful new friends: one on my right a rescuer and fellow warrior living out Isaiah 61:1-3 and on my left a daughter whose life is being restored from bondage and slavery, on many levels, a living testament of Psalm 35:9-10. All three of us making the choice to face the whirlpools in the path to freedom and hope. I am more than settled in the truth that Jesus can, does and will restore all things, and that restoration does not have to wait until we get to heaven. When I live as a daughter of Sarah I can turn many from the bondage of sin and death and choose to press on until we are all made free.
Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
Psalm 35:9-10 (CJB)
9 Then I will be joyful in Adonai,
I will rejoice in his salvation.
10 All my bones will say,
“Who is like you?
Who can rescue the weak
from those stronger than they,
the poor and needy
from those who exploit them?”