God Is Within Her
When I tell you this scripture stopped me in my tracks, baby!!!! During my devotion, I read Psalms 46:5. It reads, "God is within her, she will not fail; God will help her at the break of day." The word "her" in the scripture actually is referring to the city of God, however, I couldn't help but be drawn in considering her to be me, you or any other female identified person. God knew I needed to read this, hear this, apply this, study this and sit with this. To be sure, it's been a difficult week for me. A few days ago, I wrote on Facebook, Day 1/Stephanie 0. I meant every word. Between navigating challenges at work and in my household, sharing space with grownups, I began to question the extent to which God was cognizant of what I was experiencing. After all, even with God being God, COVID-19 has been monopolizing a great deal of energy, with people calling upon the mainline for healing, deliverance, financial stability, security and the like. With the world turning seemingly upside down, do I even have the right to expect God to attend to my sandbox?
But that's the thing about God. God avails themself to every one of our concerns as numbered as sand. He has the propensity and willingness to meet us exactly where we are, be in our prayer closet, on a difficult Zoom meeting, on a morning walk, in the shower or just sheltering in place. As the scripture reads, not only is He within us, but we will not fail! Let me say it again for the people in the back. While troubles seem insurmountable, we will not fail. It may feel like we are about to hit rock bottom, but God is able to save us from the deepest pits of depravity, without hesitation. This is comforting to know especially when failure feels as though it is being orchestrated by others. We can rest assured that no matter what we are rising from, God continues to have us on His mind.
Finally, in this power packed feminine scripture, we find, "God will help her at the break of day." I so wish a crystal ball were in accordance with the plans of God. I would select the fanciest one I could find and peer into it to find the status of each desire of my heart and those who I am petitioning and making intercession for. However since that consideration is not viable, we must take assurance that God will intervene at the break of day. We don't know when the break of day will happen, but likely in alignment with our breaking point! That is when our vulnerability aligns with God's divinity, when our weakness is comforted by God's strength and when our impossibility is overwhelmed with God's endless possibilities. It may be summed in the song "Graves Into Gardens." There is a line that makes me cry each time. It says, "Cause the God of the mountain, is the God of the valley!" Affirming yet again that "God will help her at the break of day!"
Not sure if I'm the only one, but I must remind myself occasionally that everything that concerns me, concerns God. As a result of His sovereignty, He has the ability to minister to little ole' me, as He ministers to millions. It's also permissible to fully embody and experience every emotion we feel in the mountain and the valley, unapologetically. As we travail it all, we may rest in knowing that God is indeed within us.