by Cindy Geyer
Living Word:
I have set the Lord before me (always) because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body will also rest secure. Psalm 16:8-9
Word In Motion: I well remember my affliction: and my soul is downcast” YET…I recall to mind…and therefore I have hope. Lamentations 3
I have been asked lately, “How are you doing?” A lot has happened since I last wrote. It has been a day by day journey. Never sure what each day will entail. But God has been faithful every day. One of these steps as I shared in part 3, is that my doctor thought the Sarcoidosis might be active in my heart. This was not a good thought. We had to face the possibility of what that would mean. granulomas in the vessels, pace maker, meds, life expectancy... So, I had to go in for a MRI.
This was not a good day. I have claustrophobia and the thought of going into a little tube and listening to different drumming and clicking sounds was not appealing, but it had to be done. So I went, decided God was in control and prayed a lot. He was so faithful to help me stay calm, even when they put a large cushion on top of me and squeezed me into the MRI machine. There was this moment of panic. Am I going to get stuck? Will I be able to breath? What if I have a coughing fit and they have to pull me out, will I need to take this test all over again? Lord, help me! He did. I was able to finish the test without panic attacks or hot flashes and no coughing attacks.
I am here to share... It is not active in my heart. Praise God!
This experience reminded and encouraged me to keep the Lord ever before me on this journey. To allow Him to lead and help me to rest secure in my life.
I have set the Lord before me (always) because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body will also rest secure. Ps 16:8-9
This experience reminded me of Paul and Silas, who were on their journey just doing what God was leading them to do. They had a circumstance where something became a discord in their journey, (a detour) which in turn caused them to end up in a confined space.
Acts 16:16-36 NIV tells the story of Paul and Silas on a journey and their subsequent detour.
Some rich men became angry with Paul and Silas. They dragged them before the courts and accused them of being unlawful. They were severely flogged and beaten and then thrown into prison. They were put in the lower, inner cell of the prison and their feet fastened into stocks.
Here they are on a journey doing what God had asked of them and now a detour. Was it bad luck? Or did God lead them there? YES! Emphatically, YES! God led them there. God is in the detours, we may not see it right away but on the leg of the journey and at the outcome of the journey, God will always be revealed. Whatever we face in life, God is always there, leading. He will never leave nor forsake us.
Back to the story: So Paul and Silas are weary, beaten, sore, hurt and even hungry and sitting in a prison cell …About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved – you and your household.”
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them in to his house and set a meal before them. He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole household.
When it was daylight, the magistrates sent officers to the jailer with this order: “Release those men.” Then the jailer told Paul, “You and Silas had been released. Now you can go. Go in Peace!”
Now you can go – isn’t that a strange phrase to say. Now you can go? This has always stood out to me. Why did they stay?
Now, here are two strong men of God going about the Lord’s business. They are detoured and put in prison. Not just put in prison but also beaten severely it says. They are put in the dark inner part of the jail. Fastened and chained with backs bleeding from the strikes of the whip. Companionship of criminals and outcasts – The midnight hour approaches. People always love to talk about this part. – What do they do? They sing and worship!
They didn’t grumble and complain, whine and cry. They sang. Everyone could hear them. Songs of praise ringing throughout the dungeon. While the other prisoners listen with astonishment to the heavenly sound, in such a place of shame and sorrow, all of a sudden – all the doors fly open and all the chains fall off. Wow!
This is the part of the story that really speaks to me right now. The doors are open, chains are off, but they stay in their cells. What still needed to be done?
First let’s look at why they are freed.
Paul and Silas had a calm steady hope in Christ. They knew He was in the detours. What is darkness to them? They had a light inside, an inward joy amidst outward pain and suffering. Inward liberty in the bonds of prison.
Note: It is not the place that sanctifies the spirit within us. It is the Spirit within us that sanctifies the place.
The prison could not silence what was inside their hearts. They put God before them and they rested securely in the fact that God was with them. Their wounds unattended, thrown in to the prison, sat for hours with cramped limbs, shivering in the cold and dampness. Everything seems against them. YET! With heroic cheerfulness they spent the night hours in prayer and singing praise. They were freed from their chains.
We are all seeking to know what freedom looks like and to grasp its reality and be secure in our daily lives. We define it in a physical way, more money, not sick, no sarcoidosis, more friends, better church, etc. but this is not freedom, this just causes us to become more bound up and insecure.
The freedom that Paul understood was spiritual security. He knew God was in the detours; that God would never leave Him; that God was in control of all things. Even his prison sentence. He trusted God to be with him on this detour. He also knew that with God he could do all things. Philippians 4. He knew the secret to contentment in all things.
I have set the Lord before me (always) because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body will also rest secure. Psalm 16:8-9
The secret for contentment in every circumstance is to focus on the Lord, (set Him before you) – as Savior, Redeemer, Sovereign and as the all Sufficient One. Freedom can never be known when the mind is diseased or the soul over worn and troubled. I totally understand that depression that comes at times of suffering.
They lifted up songs of praise and worship. They knew God was with them and they chose to acknowledge Him in the dungeon. A good lesson for all of us to grasp and put into practice. We all face the dungeons of life at times. We need to put the Lord ever before us, because He is there, and we will not be shaken by the detours in life. Our hearts will be glad and we will rest secure in our circumstances.
I was asked lately if I have gone to get prayed for, for healing. Yes, I have had many people pray. I thank God for my healing every day.
In the midst of the prison of Sarcoidosis, I choose to praise Him every day. Does that take away the darkness, the pain and suffering, the loneliness? NO. Does it take my mind off the negative and put God before me? YES!
NOTE: It is not the place that sanctifies the spirit within us. It is the Spirit within us that sanctifies the place.
I know, I am healed completely. Whether the healing is now or when I am in heaven with Him. I am healed. He has healed me, yet why am I still here in the dungeon of sarcoidosis?
Earlier I mentioned a part in the story that stood out to me, the phrase: Now you can leave – isn’t that a strange thing to say. Now you can leave.
Here they are: an earthquake shook the whole building, doors flew open, and chains fell off. Not just off of Paul and Silas but everyone. No one ran away they stayed where they were. Freed yet still in the prison. As the jailer was about to kill himself because he thought all had escaped, Paul yells out, “we are all here” This is the part of the story, we tend to miss.
Paul and Silas got to lead the jailer and his whole household to Jesus and baptized them. All of them. Paul and Silas saved their lives. If they had run away, all that would have remained was a dead jailor.
God is in the detours. I need to rest secure in that. Sometimes there are those in the prisons of life (whether it be other prisoners or the guards) that need secure people to help guide them out and save their lives. These detours are not all about us, it is all about Him. That none should perish.
Don’t you think Paul would have wanted to go? Paul had no idea why God had him stay, but he obeyed. He had learned to be content and rest secure in Christ.
What is a life worth? Paul was willing to pay that price. Am I?
When I was being shoved into that tube with the cushion on my chest and as that cushioned rubbed up on the top of the machine – squeak – yes, there was a moment of panic. First physical panic, thinking I am going to get stuck in this machine and second, why am I on this detour. Why sarcoidosis, what if it is active in my heart, what about my family, why me? Yet, I knew I had to relax, breathe and trust. I needed to recall to mind that God is faithful and He is in the detours. He does have a plan and purpose and above all I can do all things through Christ, even an MRI machine, even a disease called Sarcoidosis.
At one part of the test they had to pull me out and put some dye in my arm. They only let me come out a little bit till they could reach my arm. I asked --with insistence -- if they could let my head out too. I promised not to move. They graciously agreed. As I was out breathing deeply of fresh air, I was asked “How can you be so happy with this test and your diagnosis…?” “It is God, My God, He is with me and will not leave me. He will carry me through this. He is and does give me peace and joy in difficult situations.” She said “Thank you, I want faith like that” and then... she pushed me back in. :)
In all the things we face, we are all exposed to the hurting and lost. Am I healed? Yes! Whether God wants to manifest that in my life immediately or later, I am healed. The chains are off. The doors are opened. But at this time I need to stay, freed but still in the prison, so I can be available and ready to call out “He is here!” This is our call and purpose to reveal our God, his love, his passion and to testify to His faithfulness in all things. For some he sets free and says go and share, to others he sets free and says, stay and declare. We all have this call. Don’t miss the detours, I mean opportunities, to shine like stars as you hold on to and hold out the word truth. Philippians 2:14
Is one life worth it? Yes! And the whole household, Lord!
So in my own personal detour I am learning to rest secure and waiting for the moment He says, “Now you can go!”
Living Word:
I have set the Lord before me (always) because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body will also rest secure. Psalm 16:8-9
Word In Motion: I well remember my affliction: and my soul is downcast” YET…I recall to mind…and therefore I have hope. Lamentations 3
I have been asked lately, “How are you doing?” A lot has happened since I last wrote. It has been a day by day journey. Never sure what each day will entail. But God has been faithful every day. One of these steps as I shared in part 3, is that my doctor thought the Sarcoidosis might be active in my heart. This was not a good thought. We had to face the possibility of what that would mean. granulomas in the vessels, pace maker, meds, life expectancy... So, I had to go in for a MRI.
This was not a good day. I have claustrophobia and the thought of going into a little tube and listening to different drumming and clicking sounds was not appealing, but it had to be done. So I went, decided God was in control and prayed a lot. He was so faithful to help me stay calm, even when they put a large cushion on top of me and squeezed me into the MRI machine. There was this moment of panic. Am I going to get stuck? Will I be able to breath? What if I have a coughing fit and they have to pull me out, will I need to take this test all over again? Lord, help me! He did. I was able to finish the test without panic attacks or hot flashes and no coughing attacks.
I am here to share... It is not active in my heart. Praise God!
This experience reminded and encouraged me to keep the Lord ever before me on this journey. To allow Him to lead and help me to rest secure in my life.
I have set the Lord before me (always) because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body will also rest secure. Ps 16:8-9
This experience reminded me of Paul and Silas, who were on their journey just doing what God was leading them to do. They had a circumstance where something became a discord in their journey, (a detour) which in turn caused them to end up in a confined space.
Acts 16:16-36 NIV tells the story of Paul and Silas on a journey and their subsequent detour.
Some rich men became angry with Paul and Silas. They dragged them before the courts and accused them of being unlawful. They were severely flogged and beaten and then thrown into prison. They were put in the lower, inner cell of the prison and their feet fastened into stocks.
Here they are on a journey doing what God had asked of them and now a detour. Was it bad luck? Or did God lead them there? YES! Emphatically, YES! God led them there. God is in the detours, we may not see it right away but on the leg of the journey and at the outcome of the journey, God will always be revealed. Whatever we face in life, God is always there, leading. He will never leave nor forsake us.
Back to the story: So Paul and Silas are weary, beaten, sore, hurt and even hungry and sitting in a prison cell …About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved – you and your household.”
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them in to his house and set a meal before them. He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole household.
When it was daylight, the magistrates sent officers to the jailer with this order: “Release those men.” Then the jailer told Paul, “You and Silas had been released. Now you can go. Go in Peace!”
Now you can go – isn’t that a strange phrase to say. Now you can go? This has always stood out to me. Why did they stay?
Now, here are two strong men of God going about the Lord’s business. They are detoured and put in prison. Not just put in prison but also beaten severely it says. They are put in the dark inner part of the jail. Fastened and chained with backs bleeding from the strikes of the whip. Companionship of criminals and outcasts – The midnight hour approaches. People always love to talk about this part. – What do they do? They sing and worship!
They didn’t grumble and complain, whine and cry. They sang. Everyone could hear them. Songs of praise ringing throughout the dungeon. While the other prisoners listen with astonishment to the heavenly sound, in such a place of shame and sorrow, all of a sudden – all the doors fly open and all the chains fall off. Wow!
This is the part of the story that really speaks to me right now. The doors are open, chains are off, but they stay in their cells. What still needed to be done?
First let’s look at why they are freed.
Paul and Silas had a calm steady hope in Christ. They knew He was in the detours. What is darkness to them? They had a light inside, an inward joy amidst outward pain and suffering. Inward liberty in the bonds of prison.
Note: It is not the place that sanctifies the spirit within us. It is the Spirit within us that sanctifies the place.
The prison could not silence what was inside their hearts. They put God before them and they rested securely in the fact that God was with them. Their wounds unattended, thrown in to the prison, sat for hours with cramped limbs, shivering in the cold and dampness. Everything seems against them. YET! With heroic cheerfulness they spent the night hours in prayer and singing praise. They were freed from their chains.
We are all seeking to know what freedom looks like and to grasp its reality and be secure in our daily lives. We define it in a physical way, more money, not sick, no sarcoidosis, more friends, better church, etc. but this is not freedom, this just causes us to become more bound up and insecure.
The freedom that Paul understood was spiritual security. He knew God was in the detours; that God would never leave Him; that God was in control of all things. Even his prison sentence. He trusted God to be with him on this detour. He also knew that with God he could do all things. Philippians 4. He knew the secret to contentment in all things.
I have set the Lord before me (always) because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body will also rest secure. Psalm 16:8-9
The secret for contentment in every circumstance is to focus on the Lord, (set Him before you) – as Savior, Redeemer, Sovereign and as the all Sufficient One. Freedom can never be known when the mind is diseased or the soul over worn and troubled. I totally understand that depression that comes at times of suffering.
They lifted up songs of praise and worship. They knew God was with them and they chose to acknowledge Him in the dungeon. A good lesson for all of us to grasp and put into practice. We all face the dungeons of life at times. We need to put the Lord ever before us, because He is there, and we will not be shaken by the detours in life. Our hearts will be glad and we will rest secure in our circumstances.
I was asked lately if I have gone to get prayed for, for healing. Yes, I have had many people pray. I thank God for my healing every day.
In the midst of the prison of Sarcoidosis, I choose to praise Him every day. Does that take away the darkness, the pain and suffering, the loneliness? NO. Does it take my mind off the negative and put God before me? YES!
NOTE: It is not the place that sanctifies the spirit within us. It is the Spirit within us that sanctifies the place.
I know, I am healed completely. Whether the healing is now or when I am in heaven with Him. I am healed. He has healed me, yet why am I still here in the dungeon of sarcoidosis?
Earlier I mentioned a part in the story that stood out to me, the phrase: Now you can leave – isn’t that a strange thing to say. Now you can leave.
Here they are: an earthquake shook the whole building, doors flew open, and chains fell off. Not just off of Paul and Silas but everyone. No one ran away they stayed where they were. Freed yet still in the prison. As the jailer was about to kill himself because he thought all had escaped, Paul yells out, “we are all here” This is the part of the story, we tend to miss.
Paul and Silas got to lead the jailer and his whole household to Jesus and baptized them. All of them. Paul and Silas saved their lives. If they had run away, all that would have remained was a dead jailor.
God is in the detours. I need to rest secure in that. Sometimes there are those in the prisons of life (whether it be other prisoners or the guards) that need secure people to help guide them out and save their lives. These detours are not all about us, it is all about Him. That none should perish.
Don’t you think Paul would have wanted to go? Paul had no idea why God had him stay, but he obeyed. He had learned to be content and rest secure in Christ.
What is a life worth? Paul was willing to pay that price. Am I?
When I was being shoved into that tube with the cushion on my chest and as that cushioned rubbed up on the top of the machine – squeak – yes, there was a moment of panic. First physical panic, thinking I am going to get stuck in this machine and second, why am I on this detour. Why sarcoidosis, what if it is active in my heart, what about my family, why me? Yet, I knew I had to relax, breathe and trust. I needed to recall to mind that God is faithful and He is in the detours. He does have a plan and purpose and above all I can do all things through Christ, even an MRI machine, even a disease called Sarcoidosis.
At one part of the test they had to pull me out and put some dye in my arm. They only let me come out a little bit till they could reach my arm. I asked --with insistence -- if they could let my head out too. I promised not to move. They graciously agreed. As I was out breathing deeply of fresh air, I was asked “How can you be so happy with this test and your diagnosis…?” “It is God, My God, He is with me and will not leave me. He will carry me through this. He is and does give me peace and joy in difficult situations.” She said “Thank you, I want faith like that” and then... she pushed me back in. :)
In all the things we face, we are all exposed to the hurting and lost. Am I healed? Yes! Whether God wants to manifest that in my life immediately or later, I am healed. The chains are off. The doors are opened. But at this time I need to stay, freed but still in the prison, so I can be available and ready to call out “He is here!” This is our call and purpose to reveal our God, his love, his passion and to testify to His faithfulness in all things. For some he sets free and says go and share, to others he sets free and says, stay and declare. We all have this call. Don’t miss the detours, I mean opportunities, to shine like stars as you hold on to and hold out the word truth. Philippians 2:14
Is one life worth it? Yes! And the whole household, Lord!
So in my own personal detour I am learning to rest secure and waiting for the moment He says, “Now you can go!”
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