By Bonnie Mabon 

    Two of our precious grandkids, Zoya (almost 4 yrs) and Kade (1-1/2 yrs) were taught as little babies to hold their breath when they are put in water and then, to turn over, relax and float, trusting first their teacher and then the water to hold them up. How cute is that picture? And how valuable for their future safety! A picture of learning to relax and trust.

    Every one of us faces a challenge to our faith in some aspect today. And God wants us to learn to trust Him alone with the outcome.

    As you ponder your challenges, think about standing waist-high in water and putting out your arms and just allowing yourself to fall gently back into the soft water. As you totally relax, your feet will even come up to the surface and you'll be upheld, floating, totally supported by the water underneath you, with no effort of your own. Even though the waves may be lapping around you, the key to staying afloat is total relaxation -- in this analogy, total trust in our God to see us through (Is 43:1-6). The water may be deep; we don't understand the trial, and we certainly can't fix it, but He can. Fall back into His sovereign faithfulness. He says to us from Isaiah 30:15:

"In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength..."

    This is the kind of reliance God wants us to have in Him -- complete confidence. But to some, He says in that same Scripture:

"But you would not!" 

    In my own paraphrase, He goes on to say that you will try to figure it out on your own and do it your own way. But if you do that, in the end, you will be left as a pole on top of a mountain, all alone and exposed to all kinds of peril. However, He goes on to say in vs. 18:

"The Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you...blessed are those who wait for Him..."

    Another picture of our Father's care for us is depicted in the story of the mother hen who was found sitting upright, burned to death in a forest fire. Guess what they found under her wings? Her little baby chicks were nestled -- completely protected and untouched by the fire! Jesus suffered and died that we might rest in His peace, both now and eternally. Hide in Him. Psalm 36:7 says:

"How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings."

    I love the TV commercial of the cute little teddy bear falling backwards in slow motion into the snuggly soft towel with a beautific smile on his face and a delightful giggle of satisfaction. That is another picture of trust and peace in the Lord, knowing that as you take that leap of faith, you will be cushioned and protected -- even joyful -- in Him. So take that leap of faith. Deuteronomy 33:26 says:

"There is no one like the God of Israel, Who rides the heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, "Destroy!" Then Israel shall dwell in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, in a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord -- the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty!

WE WILL TRUST YOU, O GOD; THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU!

Read John 16:1-15

Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you.  John 16:7

  I sat down with my five-year-old twin granddaughters at an empty table in the market, Meara beside me and Colleen across the table.  Sampling her ice cream bar, Colleen said, rather indignantly, “Well, here I am all alone over here!”  She took another bite, then her eyes lit up and she said, “Oh, I’m not alone, am I?  Jesus is with me.”

Over 11 years ago I was asked to start writing a column for women in our organization’s monthly newsletter. There is no doubt in my mind that it was Holy Spirit-inspired because of what transpired after the third article was written.

I've always had a desire to help women walk closer to God in the midst of their "stuff," in their relationships and through the hard places--spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. But after that third article, I became a little desperate.

Concern that I would have nothing more to say (and would say it anyway) was weighing on my mind, so I went to the Lord and said, "How can I do this every month? I've already told them everything I know!"  He heard my heart and answered me directly through His LIVING Word in Ezekiel 47:12: