Christianity Oasis Forum

[Lani]

Isaiah 41:8-13

8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.



“Jesus said… “Do not fear, only believe.” Mark 5:36 (NRSV)




The year I graduated from college, I went into a deep depression. I lost my appetite as well as much of my energy and strength. Two years passed. When I visited a phychiatrist, the doctor said it would probably be another two or three years to recover. Actually, it took about six years.

God brought me healing in spite of hard trials and challenging experiences. Medical help was necessary, but I had leaned too much on the doctor’s words, “two to three years.” As I look back, all the days of painful experiences and anxious feelings were days overflowing with God’s blessings. God had been with me, using the hard times to teach me and mold me.

Now, no longer fearing sickness, I take courage and live joyfully, entrusting everything to God. In that trust I have found true healing. No matter how weak we become, God loves us, forgives us, and heals us. Whatever the situation, if we trust in God, we can live expectantly – always in God’s time.



Prayer: Dear God, we thank you for the ways you heal us. Help us to trust you more and to wait patiently for your hand of love on our lives. We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”* Amen
* Luke 11:2-4 (NIV)

Prayer Focus of Day: Those with mental-health problems

Thought for the Day: Even as we struggle, God is healing us.

Story shared by: H. Shinomiya (Japan)
Source: Upper Room Daily Devotional: 3/3/12

[logi bear]

oh... I struggle with anxiety really bad. Its possible that its a symptom of my Dysautonomia, which is an autonomic nervous system disorder. Basically its possible that it can cause your body to release stress hormones that cause anxiety, its crazy what can happen when the nervous system doesn't work right. But I think most of my anxiety is just like cabin fever from being in the house all the time. It goes away on the rare occasions i get out of house. In any event, Its hard to deal with it, its torture. Sometimes i wake up to anxiety after having a nightmare, and I think to myself, the nightmare was better, i want to go back to sleep! But I know God will use this to make me trust Him, or to help others in the future who struggle with anxiety. Some good will come out of this pain . Thanks for writing this. Oh and verse 10 was amazing, I have never heard that before. I am going to save that!