Today has been a hard day friend.
I had a BIG conversation with my oldest son today, now married with two sweet step-children, (he was 21 at the writing of this post) and I am reminded that the crazy loudness that is the world will drop onto my head at the most random time.
I ended up in tears throughout the conversation as he shared some news about his life as well as telling me that one of his siblings had reached out to him recently. I am incredibly grateful that the younger ones even reach out to my oldest, that is comforting on so many levels.
Yet, I heard some hard things today.
I heard concern for mental health in his younger siblings. I heard concern for the lack of my listening skills. I heard concern for how my marriage is creating some wounds that I didn’t know existed. I heard how my words cause anxiety in hearts. I heard concern for societal grief effecting ALL of the hearts in my home. I heard concern for the hearts and minds of all of my family. I heard concern for brokenness that will take Godly healing.
It was so big and so heavy that even writing this now I am brought to tears.
My Failures Require His Strength
After the phone call and apologies and tears, all I could hear was how LOUD everything was at that moment.
How loud my failures as a mama are. How loud my failures as a wife are. How loud my own brokenness is.
And all I could do was literally cry and CRY OUT to my Jesus. I didn’t even have words to say. I simply cried and cried and said “Jesus” over and over again. Because sometimes, we don’t even need words for Him to understand the depths of our sadness and overwhelm.
In the moments like this that creep up on me and make me feel like I am drowning; I know of only one thing to do. Call on Jesus. Repeat the Scripture. Tell my heart the Truth. Find the Quiet in all of the Loud Noise.
I didn’t immediately dig into the Scripture but I did after I settled my heart. Because in the moment of the loud I needed my heavenly Father to wrap me up in His arms and remind me that I cannot handle it all and that only He can.
Here are some Bible Verses that allow me to let go of my imperfections, my worries, my fear, my doubts, and seek Him and the quiet He offers my heart and soul.
May it be an encouragement to you today if the world happens to be incredibly loud for you too.
Psalms 23:1-6 NKJV
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”
No matter what difficulties the world throws at me, I know: He restores my soul, He is with me, He comforts me, He provides for me, He shows His mercy to me . . . all the time.
Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
This verse helps me breathe. I do not need to be anxious about anything. I can rely on Him to give me His peace that will quiet my heart and mind. His peace that is superior to my own and eases my mind because He has a knowledge of the crazy that I simply do not have. Ultimately, He’s got this.
John 16:33 NKJV
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
He lays it all out here. yes, you will have worries and some will be pretty big BUT I find peace (and quiet) in Him because he has overcome ALL of the things of this world. Sigh . . . thank you Jesus. What a weight lifting verse this one is for me.
Psalm 130:5 NKJV
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.”
This loud crazy world is simply too much some days. This verse helps me remember to step back and wait on the Lord. He always shows up, so why am I trying to rush Him? WAIT on the Lord.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
Day in and day out I struggle with control. It is better than it was a few years ago but it is still a battle I face. If I am in control, it makes life easier to handle . . . or so I tell myself. But in reality, when He is in control of all the things, life is easier. Which means I MUST let go and let Him handle All. The. Things. Which means trusting that He knows far better than I do and trusting that He can handle the crazy better than I can.
Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”
He is compassionate and hears my cries which means I will be eaten alive in the loudness of the world. His mercy is available to me, every single morning. And He is faithful. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!
Proverbs 22:6 NKJV
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Many say that this isn’t a promise of God, and that’s okay. I believe it is more like a statement to His faithfulness. If I do my part to train my children, then He follows up with the reminder that it is buried in their heart and they will never truly leave the path of truth. On days like today, this makes my heart relieved because if nothing else, no matter how the world is yelling at me, if I sow well, He will let the harvest be true and good.
Romans 8:28 NKJV
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
This is an easy one for me. I love the Lord and He will work EVERYTHING out in my life. Every. Single. Thing.
2 Timothy 2:13 NKJV
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
He loves me and is faithful even when I am falling deep into the loud name calling, hateful world. He loves me and is faithful when I forget that He has all of this planned out and nothing surprises Him. He loves me and is ever faithful because He cannot be anything other than Himself.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NKJV
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Diligence. Point the children back to the Savior, no matter the situation, no matter the noise, no matter the heartache, no matter the brokenness. He is enough. And my diligence in telling the truth about ALL the things will always be a good thing for me and my children. This verse reminds me to daily “walk the walk and talk the talk”.
Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Again, He knows best for me and my children. I don’t HAVE to know the plan but I do have to trust that He knows the best way for things to happen in our lives.
James 4:7-8 NLT
“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
In the verses right before these James was telling the people that if you want to be friends with the world, you make yourself an enemy of the Lord. Let’s be real here, listening to the LOUD noise of the world can lead you to believe the noise. And I absolutely do not want to listen to the world and cast myself into oblivion because I ended up an enemy of God.
I must lean on Him, drawing myself closer to Him in every situation.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 KNJV
“God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.”
This verse is similar to 2 Timothy 2:13 for me. The Lord is faithful. In all things. He is faithful to keep His promises. He is faithful to provide for us. He is faithful to protect us and our families. He is faithful to carry our burdens. He is faithful in so many ways to us.
The Truth of His Faithfulness
If you made it this far I want to remind you that Bible is a living and breathing text that can apply to every situation in your life. Dig deep sweet friend and tell your heart these truths, on the daily. Share them aloud for all to hear. The people that need it most are usually the ones that are the closest to you and probably sit around your table.
There are so many more truths to help ease the loud noise of the world and many more verses that will help you find the peace and quiet which is the Lord. I pray that your heart will not be troubled with all of the crazy you are facing today. Even as I have written this out, my mind is settled, and my heart isn’t so over-burdened. Why? Because even writing all of these verses out and reading them has allowed my heart to remember the truth of the Father that loves me and mine.
Do I still struggle with the issues and concerns I heard today, of course. But I also know that no issue, no worry, no fear is bigger than the God that loves me and cares for me.
Walk in the joy and peace that He offers you friend and know that tomorrow He graces us with His mercies anew.
In His Grace,
Callie
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