The Power Of Sitting With Jesus
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10
With last week being the 4th of July, people in our neighborhood were shooting off fireworks several nights in a row. And while it was very cool to be able to see a small fireworks show while sitting on our back deck, our 7-month-old puppy Sadie was not so thrilled.
Every time she’d hear a set of popping sounds as more fireworks exploded in the air, she would perk up, clearly on high alert, and then she would immediately run over and sit next to me or my husband on the couch.
She didn’t go look out the window. She didn’t bark. She didn’t try to figure out where the noise was coming from. She just knew something was up, and she wanted to be close to us while she was feeling nervous and uncertain.
As she snuggled up next to me, I thought about what a great example this was for what I’m sure Jesus wants us to do when we’re feeling anxious or fearful.
He doesn’t want us to worry. He doesn’t want us to scramble around in a panic while trying to figure out what’s going on and how to fix our current situation. He doesn’t want us to allow our feelings to lead us down a rabbit hole of more fear. He just wants us to sit with Him. He wants to be able to comfort us, to love on us, to help us, and to remind us of what is true. He wants us to know that in His presence, we are safe.
The reality is, when the fireworks were going off last week, there was nothing my little puppy Sadie could do about it. She couldn’t make them stop. She couldn’t change her current circumstances. All she could do was sit next to me and find in comfort my presence.
The same is true for us, friend. We so often think we have a lot more control over our lives than we actually do. Many times, we find ourselves amidst circumstances that we can’t do anything to change. So when that happens, I hope this little metaphor of Sadie and the fireworks reminds you that the best thing you can do is just sit in the presence of Jesus. When you do, you will have all the comfort, peace, and courage you need to face whatever situation you find yourself in.
You don’t have to be afraid. He is with you.