Sometimes it IS hard to see the forest through the trees.  When you are right in the middle of it.  The big picture, the whole forest, is jumbled up and difficult to comprehend.  This week was one of those weeks.

Dealing with probation is not easy.  For someone who is “used to” the system, that person might have a little more insight and patience in understanding how it all operates.  For someone else who is used to the “real world”, the frustrating motives and hoops necessary to jump through to satisfy the state are beyond mind boggling and maddening.  You just scratch your head and say “WHAT?!?!”  Having insufficiently jumped through a recent hoop, my hubby and I were subjected to a few days of distress, completely at the mercy of the system.  It was enough to send me into a spiral of confusion and depression, questioning my faith and flailing in the interim.  It wasn’t much better for my hubby.  I can assure you, it wasn’t pretty.

However, over these past years, I am beyond blessed to have a strong group of prayer warriors who will pray at the drop of the hat.  Even though my local Christian community is hardly existent, my REAL Christian community has been faithful and true.  This week they prayed FOR me when I couldn’t pray myself.  Offering Scripture encouragement and exhortations, holding my heart in their hands and raising my eyes UP to The One who can handle it all.  It was the most awesome display of the true power of prayer I have experienced in several years.

Through their intercession and guidance I was able to drop every worry (even if only for a short period of time at first) at the foot of The Cross.  “Here, you take it Jesus, I can’t do this anymore.”  It was enough.  To get me back on my feet, to refresh my faith, to restore hope and trust.  Though that peace was threatened again last night with a “routine” house check, a quick shout-out and time in the Psalms provided enough strength to get through and to recover.  This road surely has bumps and hills and valleys still to come, however, I am confident in Christ to guide me, guard me and provide me with what I need along the way. Maybe in time, I’ll even be able to see the forest through the trees.  For now, it’s a take-it-one-day-at-a-time scenario.  Trust and obey.  (for the entire lyrics, click here)

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 

and a verse I have heard SEVERAL times this week…….

Romans 8:31 (NIV)

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?