Category: Grace

Posted on

I Got You

Isaiah 41:10 & 13

Don’t panic. I’m with you.
There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.
I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. That’s right. Because I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I’m not letting go.
I’m telling you, ‘Don’t panic.
I’m right here to help you.’ (MSG)

Word Study

Fear or Panic – H3707 יָרֵא1 yārē’1, to be afraid, be frightened; be dreadful, be feared; [P] to frighten, terrify, intimidate; terror and fright, fear (92), feared (12), be feared (4), dreadful (4), terrified (4), intimidate (3), alarmed (2), despair (2), frightened (2), have fear (2)

Thoughts…

Vs. 10-20. God speaks with tenderness; Fear thou not, for I am with thee: not only within call but present with thee. Art thou weak? I will strengthen thee. Art thou in want of friends? I will help thee in the time of need. Art thou ready to fall? I will uphold thee with that right hand which is full of righteousness (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary).

As I write this today I am fighting with a panic attack. I am shaking so bad I am struggling to type. Forgive me if there are errors and. Typos. it began when I picked up my bible to read today’s scriptures. I am not trying to say this is a direct attack from Satan, but it sure feels that way. the first thing I wanted to do was put it down and run. I am so glad I didn’t. Someone out there needs to know they are not alone. These verses remind us we are not alone! Verse 10 and 13 plainly state don’t panic, God is with me. He has a firm grip on me. I am not losing it. I need to just be still and let God hang on. Take a deep breath, Let go and let God. 

I don’t know what you are going through right now. I only know you are not alone. Please don’t panic. Take a deep breath, let go and let God. Fall in his arms. Let him hold you. He will get you through this. He will not let go!

Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Posted on

Keep on Trying!

James 1:12

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

I think too many people look at this verse and see themselves as complete failures. They gave in today and now they are failures. They don’t remember all the times they stood. They don’t think about all the times they will stand again. God never expected us to be tested once and pass or fail. No! Grace picks us up when we stumble so we can try again. Star Athletes are not made over one event. They are honed over years of practice. That is the reason the word persevere is used in verse 12. We will face these trials over and over again. We will stumble from time to time. It is the fact that we persevere or keep trying that matters.

Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Posted on

Scars or Badges

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ~Romans 8:37

I was a bit of a tomboy when I was a child. When I would get a scrape and mom would clean it, I would get excited when she said, “Well, that is going to leave a scar.” Then one day some idiot created Neosporin. I mean seriously ever child in the world morned that day. We wore are scars like badges of courage!

I look at my body today and it is still covered with scars of courage, bravery, and survival. If you look deeper you will see internal scars as well. Some run very deep. Few are fresh and raw, while others are tough and old, but can open right back up with the right word.

Like the external scars, I have learned to look at these as badges of courage, bravery, and survival. They make me who I am and have built strength. I am thankful for these scars much like a man who wore scars many years ago.

Jesus bore many scars and yes, even some internal. Betrayal form both Judas and Peter had to hurt. It was these scars that saved the world. These scars give us hope for our scars. 

Pain in life is just part of life. We can choose to cry over our scars or wear them as badges of courage, bravery, and strength like Jesus. He is the one who bore his scars so he could empower you to survive yours.

Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Posted on

Timing is Everything

Psalm 31:15
My Times are in your hands.


Andrew Murray was a South African pastor who visited England in 1895. While there, an old back injury flared up causing him to go on bed rest. The lady of the house he was staying at came to him one day because of a friend of hers was in bad shape. She asked Murray if he had any words of encouragement for her friend. He quickly handed her a piece of paper he had been writing on with words of encouragement for himself. It said,
 
“In times of trouble say:
First- God brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place. In that, I will rest.
Next-He will keep me in His love and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child.
Then-He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow.
Last-In his good time He can bring me out again-how and when he knows.
I am here-By God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, for His time.”
 
In this age of microwaves, drive-thrus, and instant pots, we want everything NOW! We would do good to remember that everything is in God’s hands and God’s timing. He knows where we are at and what we are going through. He knew we would be there long before we did. He will be there through it all and with us all the time. His love and grace will see us through, even in our darkest pit.

Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

Posted on

Holding Things Together

Colossians 1:17 
He is before all things and in him all things hold together
 
I wonder around from thing to thing
Place to place
Person to person.
Nothing makes sense
My mind is disjointed
Scattered
Twisted

I feel overwhelmed
My surroundings are blurred
People are talking to me
My brain rejects all stimuli
It can’t compute
Not one more thing
I am going to explode

I am melting down
My breathing quickens
I want to scream
I can’t convey the message
Between my voice and my brain
All is lost
I fall apart

Too Much! Too Much
TOO MUCH!
I shake my head
I clamp my hands over my ears
I close my eyes
NO MORE!
My voice finally cries out.

I AM DONE!
TIME OUT!
GO AWAY!
LEAVE ME BE!
TOO MUCH!
NO MORE!
IT IS OVER!

Deep breath
Sit down
Let the world go on
Without me
Like a commuter train
Whizzing by
Destinations yet to be seen

Jesus is before 
All things
And
In Him
All things
Are held together
Even Me

Jesus will hold
This pile of shattered pieces
Nothing will be lost
I can let go for a moment
And let the world go past
It is OK
He is holding on

I don’t have to anymore
I will be fine
The sun will 
Shine again
And my brain will
Let it in.
I will survive.

Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

The Scream by Edward Munch
Posted on

I Get Knocked Down

John 16:20. Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

There is an old song Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. It repeats the phrase:

I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down

These words are often floating around in my head. Contrary to what some people may believe when they read my writings or meet me, I don’t have it all figured it out. SPOILER ALERT Life is not all about rainbows and unicorns! I know my life isn’t.

Yes, I have gone through some rough things that I pray and hope no one else ever has to go through. However, I also know there are many people that have gone through it and I must share so they know they are not alone.

I don’t care what it is you are going through, I want you to know YOU are not alone. Someone somewhere has walked that path before. Let your voice be heard. Ask for help. Tell your story. Someone will walk with you. By shouting it out loud and clear, you just may be that one person someone else is looking for.

Even as a Christian, I don’t get to claim life is easy and smooth because I have a God that loves me. Nope! Jesus himself told us in John 16:20 “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” I want you to take note of the BUT in that sentence. That BUT is our hope! It is what we hang on to. It is our “You are never going to keep me down.”

What I am trying to say is, it is not that I don’t get knocked down. It is not that I don’t stumble and fall. Heck, it is not that I don’t just lay down and give up from time to time. It is not how many times I go down that matters. It is how many times I get back up that counts.

So, if you are stumbling today, grab my hand. We will get back up together!

Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.