There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For He who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest…
Hebrews 4:9-11
I recently visited some friends, M and L, a couple I had not met for quite some time. They extended amazing hospitality. We had an enjoyable time taking walks at the Danube, cooking and eating delicious meals or just sitting together and taking the time to talk and catch up. I greatly appreciated their heart and their lives, which is about being there for people who need them.
Among many other things, M shared how he had previously struggled with asthma for about 10 years. Even slight physical activity could easily trigger the asthma attacks to where he had a hard time breathing and was often extremely exhausted. He tried taking some stuff to help him with his breathing, but it had bothersome side effects, such as getting easily agitated and short-tempered. All this of course influenced his daily life and work, and at times, it was also hard on his family.
After some time, he came to the realization that he did not want to use the steroids anymore, and decided to trust God for his healing. When the asthma attacks came, no matter how scary it was not to be able to breath properly, he just opted to stop whatever he was doing or trying to do and looked to Jesus, saying, “I trust You, Lord”.
Yes, that meant trusting the Lord even if that was his last breath, but I think he knew that it would not be. He just simply believed His Word which said that by His stripes he had been healed, that the healing had been given and it was his, no matter how he felt. It is faith that pleases God and that is faith, believing the Word no matter how we feel.
There are so many negative ways in which we can feel, but we do not have to go by how we feel; we always have a choice. I have been learning about this recently in connection with getting anxious, which can be a tendency for me in certain situations. Even if I am getting so worried that my stomach ties up in knots, I can say to the Lord, “no matter how I feel, I do have peace, because You gave it to me“. Then I simply give any issues that are trying to upset me to Him , saying, “I give it to You, You take care of this, I trust You”.
Back to my original story, the good news is that M had not suffocated, even if he recalled times when he certainly thought he would. Today he is completely free of asthma.
For my Kids out there 