What to Do When Trauma Hits - by Bill Dupley

 "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3)

This week has been difficult

A trip I had planned for months was canceled. My roof leaked, and I had to replace the roof. A relative had a seizure. It has been a tough week.

How does the Lord encourage us to deal with problems?

King Hezekiah gives us a key to dealing with this in Isaiah 37. He received a letter from the King of Assyria telling him all the destruction he had done to other countries (which was true) and that he would do the same to Israel. King Hezekiah's response was unique. He did not get upset or rant back at him. He took the letter, went to the Temple of the Lord, laid it on the floor before the Lord, and said,

"O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to the words that Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God. And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God" (Isaiah 37:15-19).

The Lord answered this prayer and spoke a word of encouragement to King Hezekiah through Isaiah the prophet. The Lord also sent an angel that destroyed the army of Assyria. The King of Assyria was later killed by his sons.

God answers prayers - The mechanism that King Hezekiah used is important to embrace.

1. He went to the Temple and quieted his heart
2. He focused the eyes of his heart on the Lord
3. He laid the letter before the Lord
4. He asked the Lord to solve the problem

He did what Isaiah 26:3 tells us to do. He focused his mind on the Lord; His mind was stayed on the Lord.

Everyone can do this

To start, let's examine a fact about faith

Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God." The word for "Word of God" used here is the Greek word "Rhema," which always means the spoken word of God. When we hear the Lord, he releases faith into our hearts. 

When I face problems. I follow the model that King Hezekiah did

1. I sit at my desk, and I write down the issue or problem in my journal 
2. I quiet my heart, focus the eyes of my heart on the Lord, and begin to rest in His presence. You can do this by imagining a Bible story that Jesus is in. When you see Jesus on the imagination screen of your mind, your mind is stayed on Him
3. I present the issue to the Lord
4. I listen to the thoughts the Lord speaks to me, and I write them down
5. As I embrace the Lord's words, faith begins to rise in my heart 
6. His peace also begins to flow into my heart, and I rest in His presence again

Personal application

I encourage you when you face a threatening letter or any other problem that robs you of peace, do what King Hezekiah did, and "peace that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7)

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About Bill Dupley - Bill is a certified facilitator for Communion with God Ministries and is affiliated with Singing Waters Ministries.  You can contact him at: the.secret.place@cogeco.ca