Put fear to rest

It is easy to worry about things in our lives. They can be challenging, but the worry can drag us down even further. The Lord doesn’t want this for us. He wants to carry the burdens of the challenge and the worry. Yeshua said, “Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28).

The Lord made this clear to me in an unusual way during the recent Messiah Conference.

At about the middle of the week I felt out of sorts and not up to dealing with a lot of people. I felt very raw and my neck and throat were very tight. So I skipped the first session and went off by myself to see if the Lord was trying to tell me something. 

I found a nice quiet spot and began praying and journaling, but I ended up falling asleep. I never sleep in public places—it's just not something I've ever been able to do, but I fell asleep at a picnic bench for about a half an hour. I woke up chastising myself for nodding off instead of listening to the Lord and went to the next session. 

During that session, Rabbi Robert Solomon talked about how we needed to rest in the Spirit instead of always trying to do something. He said that worry was choking, which was how I had been feeling all morning—like I was choking. I realized that was what I had been doing outside—resting in the presence of God. 

Then I went to lunch. While in the lunch line, a little girl pushed in line next to me to get some ice. In the process, an ice chip flew down my shirt. Needless to say, I was shocked!

I returned to my table and told my dad what happened. 

"Maybe God is trying to tell you to chill out," he said.

"Funny you should say that,” I laughed and told him about my morning. So the Lord finally managed to get through to me that I needed to stop worrying about certain areas in my life, leave them with Him, and He will handle it!

By Elizabeth Appel, manager of the Fig Tree Bookstore

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Mathew 8:23 He boarded the boat, and his talmidim followed. 24 Then, without warning, a furious storm arose on the lake, so that waves were sweeping over the boat. But Yeshua was sleeping. 25 So they came and roused him, saying, “Sir! Help! We’re about to die!” 26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? So little trust you have!” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and there was a dead calm.

I suppose this needs no more comment.

If we read the paper or watch the daily news --- we hear/see the Middle East in an Uproar. Each country threatening it's neighbors. We see Israel faced with threats of chemical, biological, and even Nuclear weapons from all of their enemies.
We see random shootings in America -- and truly they are around the world.
Recently -- last year we all had floods, and now we have a severe droubt, and food shortages predicted -- In America.
Gas prices, America in debt over 16 TRILLION, the world on the brink of economic collapse.
Not too mention droubts, earthquakes, tsunamis, and natural disasters on top of the many current wars --- it would take a long pause from each of us to remember ALL the calamity in just the past year --- let alone a decade.
I suppose it all paints the picture of WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PERFECT END TIMES STORM!!! The dark clouds are everywhere!!!
and YET we sometimes wonder where G-d is, --------- and HE is here, WITH us, ALL of the time
asking us with His still small voice "Why are you afraid? So little trust you have!”
and of course -- TAKE HEART I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD