Reality Check with Ann Downing...

A couple of days ago Karissa and I were driving along through a beautiful part of Arkansas. As we topped a long hill, something akin to a mountain, she made the comment as she looked out over the valley and river below that that must be what the promised land looked like. We discussed the historical, Biblical fact that Moses didn't get to pass over into the promised land after leading those wandering people along for forty years, listening to their groans, whines, naysaying, etc. God's plan was for Joshua to finish that mission. Now, I'll admit, I'm not sure I can understand that part of God's plan, not that I'd need to. It sure seems unfair on the surface of things, doesn't it? That Moses would do all the work, and then not be allowed to experience the "finish line benefits"? But he did get to experience it, didn't he? When it's God's will, it's the right "finish line", no matter. How many times have we been ...

There have been times I was convinced a certain somebody didn't like me. Just a little "signal" here and there that I thought I'd picked up on that said something was wrong with me in their eyes. Then, more than once I've found that that person didn't feel that way towards me at all...in fact, have learned that in some cases they were thinking the same thing..."she doesn't like me". What's wrong with us?????? :). Jan Silvious wrote...."when I go into a room, I just assume that everybody in that room likes me, then whatever happens, I won't feel insecure...imagining someone doesn't like me". I think that's a pretty good way of looking at it, don't you? I mean, if they like you, you aren't surprised, if they don't like you, you'll likely not even notice.

It really is true that you can't know what someone else is feeling or where they're living if you've never walked in their shoes....and of course, we can't walk in those shoes with another, no matter how much we'd like to. However, there is something powerful in hearing assurances like "I love you and just wanted you to know that". I have to be honest and say I wasn't very good at showing mercy, love and understanding before my husband Paul's 56-day stay in critical care 250 miles from home before his journey to Heaven. It would have been next to impossible for me to go through those days and nights without reassurances over and over and over again that I wasn't alone. I admit I don't remember many of those pieces of advice that were offered...but I never fail to remember with a grateful heart those kind and comforting "I'm walking as close to you and with you as I can", "I hurt with you", "I'm so ...

I confess that I find myself asking fairly often, “what have I done to cause this?” Just earlier today, I said out loud (I was alone  )….”Dear God, what else do I need to repent of?” Now, I don’t know if I would have said that if I had been standing face to face with Him in the physical sense, but I do believe that He must have kinda thought about it a bit….’cause the phone rang. It wasn’t a huge deal, but enough to say to me that sometimes it’s not about repenting, it’s about waiting. And to be honest, most of the time it’s easier to repent than to wait. During these last few minutes, I’ve found myself remembering the Scripture..”While you were yet sinners, Christ died for your sins”. If He has died for me in my sins, then I’m just gonna believe that He’s loving me enough to see my heart and not always judge me as guilty guilty guilty just because the struggle is hard in finding a way to believe. Yes, I need to repent when I’ve missed His “mark” for my life....I’m jus...

Oh my….sometimes the words just won’t come, will they? The pain is far too great to put into words, the fear can paralyze and make it very difficult to express what we’re feeling. I see TV accounts of towns blown away, meaning lives were lost and hearts were broken….I hear hurting men and women and children talk about how hard it is to just keep going…it just makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Why? Why? Why? I’m so grateful that Romans promises the Holy Spirit will pray for us at such times….when we can’t say to God or anyone what we’re trying to communicate, God will hear….the Holy Spirit sees to that.

One of my first songs to co-write was “Learning to Trust a Trustworthy God”. The terrorists’ attacks of September 11, 2001 occurred shortly after Marty Funderburk and I finished the song….in fact I’d just started staging it. One Sunday morning as I was introducing the song the thought hit me that maybe one of the reasons Marty and I had written the song could be to remind us how important it is to continually be longing and learning to trust a God Who is indeed trustworthy. It’s easy to trust God when things are running smoothly, isn’t it? But for the hard times, it’s all about building our trust in a God Who can keep us steady, even in a level of peace, when the whole world around us is crashing down.

Well, of course God is good. But, He’s good whether we feel it, see it, hear it, believe it or not. How many times have you heard someone say “God is good, all the time, all the time God is good” when things haven’t gone exactly as they’d wanted or prayed? Don’t we say it easily after a prayer has been answered pretty much “our way”? If you’ve heard me in concert or speak more than a few times, you likely have heard me share what Corrie ten Boom had to say on this….someone said to her, “Oh Corrie, wasn’t God good to bring you out of the concentration camps?” to which Corrie responded, “Oh, He was good when I was still in the concentration camps”. Now, if I can be realllll honest here, I don’t think my lips have very often spoken those words, “God is good” during those times of confusion, fear, complexity¸lack, etc. But let me SEE, HEAR, FEEL the difference He’s made and it’s easy to mouth the words..and believe them. My next quest, I think, is to see Him, feel Him, hear Him ...