Brave

Credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/akikophotograph

We all go through stuff.

And sometimes we go through stuff that is life changing, life altering, with our backs pressed up against a wall with no escape.

A child gets diagnosed with cancer, a spouse files divorce papers, a well-educated professional loses his dream job, stock markets crash, multiple pregnacies fail, hearts break, plans turn out different than we had expected, or look nothing like we had hoped.

As painful as it can be, our heart breaking, life altering, backs up to a wall circumstance can be God’s opportunity to be GOD.

Paul and Silas are these two radical guys in the Bible. After preaching the Gospel, local authorities threw them in jail. Wrongly accused, city officials stripped them, beat them severely with wooden rods, threw them in the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in iron.

We all have those moments when we get imprisoned to circumstance and we can’t find our way out. We can even do it all right and still end up thrown in a place of that feels confined and restricted and our own strength can’t get us out.

We feel the pressure and the cold. Pressure constrains and we can’t move. We look around for a way of escape and find none. We are helpless.

Our limitation is God’s invitation to be HUGE. He is the way out.

Paul and Silas sat in that inner dungeon, their feet clamped in iron and at the midnight hour they begin praying and singing hymns to God. Suddenly, a massive earthquake rumbles and the prison is shaken to its foundations. The doors fly open and the chains of every prisoner fall off.

As our knees hit the dirt of that prison cell of our circumstance and we begin to lift our hands in thanksgiving to thank Him for who He is and all He has done and all He is able to do and we praise Him, not just hoping for a way of escape, but really PRAISE Him from that place of desperation and need, He comes.

And He was always there. 

He shakes the foundations of who we are and breaks off the chains that bind.

Praise releases our deliverance.

As we lift up praise, His power comes down.  He heals diseases, restores marriages, opens wombs, brings peace to the storm and steadies our soul.

Your rescue is coming.

Psalm 31:24 Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon. (MSG)

Five Minute Friday is a feature over at Lisa-Jo Bakers TALES FROM A GYPSY MAMA blog.

So, let’s do this thing. Let’s write.

Set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

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