Emmanuel: God With Us

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Have you ever sat down and reflected on who God is? I mean, really considered who the Lord is and all He has done for us and the world around us? I personally fall extremely short of doing enough of this sort of deep reflection. The more I draw closer to Christ and center my life around Him, the more I realize I have barely scratched the surface of the awesomeness of God.

Intellectually, I have understood most of my life that the Lord is amazing. In the Bible, God is called many things, and I could easily rattle off a whole list of those names and attributes. But to truly understand even one of the names of God? I mean, seriously and thoroughly understand a single one? I could spend an entire lifetime studying and trying to comprehend and still miserably fail.

Don’t get me wrong. I get choked up every time I try to talk about what the Lord has done in my life. Honestly, I stink at offering public praise because I can’t even speak when I start to consider all the ways my Heavenly Father has blessed my life. God is my everything and has often been my only friend and source of strength during life’s darkest times. I wouldn’t have survived this long without clinging desperately to Jesus or being strengthened daily by the Holy Spirit.

But truly understand and appreciate who God is and how He loves me and has cared for me? My finite brain could never handle it all. Ultimately, my brain is pretty regularly blown as I seek the Lord and strive to know Him more.

I do have to admit, though, that one of my ultimate favorite names of God is Emmanuel: God with us. How awesome is that? Take a second and really consider what this name means. We often have this image of God where He is far above us, ruling from a distant throne. In all actuality, though, He is right here with His people every second of every day. Loving them. Guiding them. Protecting them. Providing for them. Working diligently behind the scenes for their betterment.

God might be the Most High and ruler over the entire universe, but He isn’t a distant Father. He’s never too busy. Our concerns are never too insignificant. In fact, He is always actively involved in every single aspect of our lives. He goes through our every triumph, every trial, and everything in between–right beside us! Our Lord promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. How insanely comforting is that?

I remember the first time I started to understand this aspect of God. It completely changed how I saw my life and my everyday struggles. Looking back, I can now see clearly that even during my darkest hours, I was never truly alone. Even when my friends and family had abandoned me, my Heavenly Father never did. When I cried, He cried. When I was in pain, He held me close and understood exactly what I was enduring. When my heart was breaking, His heart was, as well. When my world felt like it was collapsing in on me, He was right there, holding me together and whispering words of encouragement to my disheartened spirit.

Knowing how close the Lord stayed close to me over all of these years is a huge comfort. Today’s and tomorrow’s trials and tribulations no longer seem impossible or horrifying. My God was with me before, so He will assuredly remain with me, no matter what the present or future holds. There is no need to fear or worry or doubt. Emmanuel will walk the rest of life’s journey with me…no matter what is waiting for me around the next bend.

• When have you felt the most alone?
• Looking back, can you now see God’s hand in any of those difficult situations?
• How does knowing that the Lord is “God with us” change your perspective in life?

© 2021 Amanda R. Dollak

Be Still and Know

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Psalm 46 has always been one of my ultimate favorite passages in the Bible. It is overflowing with many amazing promises and reassurances to help us through life’s darkest days. In fact, one of my go-to verses for when I’m feeling particularly anxious, overwhelmed, or afraid is Psalm 46:10, which exhorts: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

I currently have an image of the first half of this verse as my lock screen for my phone. I pick up my phone and look at the screen countless times a day. It feels so soothing and empowering to be reminded many times daily to “be still and know that I am God”! In this crazy, fast-paced world, I’ve struggled to find moments each day to even slow down, let alone be still. Consequently, it doesn’t hurt to have a frequent reminder to just stop, breathe, and focus on God and His promises every now and then throughout my day.

Something dawned on me this morning that never stood out about this verse before: the word ‘know’ right there hiding in the middle of the beginning of Psalm 46:10. Over the years, I’ve thought long and hard about the “be still” part, as well as the whole idea that God is God (and as such, what that means to believers based off of the Lord’s many amazing attributes). Somehow, though, I have always simply read quickly over the word ‘know’ and never thought much about it.

Today, though, it struck me as quite significant after all. I find it interesting that the Lord chose the word ‘know’ here: we are to know God is God. We aren’t to believe that God is God. We aren’t supposed to conjure up enough faith that God is God. He doesn’t ask us to speculate or even reason that God is God. It says “Be still and know that I am God.”

When we know something, there is no doubt. There is no confusion. There is no worry of misunderstanding or false conjecture. There is just fact and a firm resting in that fact. When we know something, we possess a solid and unwavering assurance in what we know.

Life and this world can be immensely chaotic and confusing. It’s incredibly easy to become disoriented, overwhelmed, or blindsided by everyday life> It becomes a thousand times more challenging with the most difficult trials we sometimes must face. Frankly, life often doesn’t make any sense. And as such, we too often are left adrift wondering why.

It’s in those moments that we need a solid anchor to hold us steadfast in the middle of the raging tempest. We require an unmoving object to reorient ourselves, or we run the risk of sailing away from the safety of shore and farther into the potentially deadly storm. God is our solid anchor and unmoving source of hope. That is, He is if we learn to stop in the middle of the deafening roar of this world’s troubles and take unwavering refuge in God and who He is.

The world might never make much sense. It might even feel like the very world itself is falling in on us. But we have a solid foundation upon which to rest. We have the rock-solid reassurance that God is God. We can take refuge in the knowledge that the Lord is in control. He has a plan. Absolutely nothing surprises Him. And even if our world does fall apart, God possesses the mighty power to put it all back together again or better yet, to create something far more beautiful or glorious from the rubble. How amazing that such a tiny word like ‘know’ can hold such power and comfort in our lives! God’s Word is truly awesome and never fails to offer new nuggets of truth amongst even the most familiar of passages.

© 2021 Amanda R. Dollak

Goodbye, My Worrywart Side!

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May was an extra tough month for me. The coronavirus pandemic drastically threw my world and daily life into pure pandemonium. Although I arose to face this turmoil and still accomplished quite a bit last month, I’m ashamed to say that I also spent far too much of my precious time stressing and being overwhelmed. I can’t imagine what I might have accomplished if I hadn’t allowed myself to get sidetracked so frequently by worry. That’s why I have decided it’s time to turn over a new leaf and set some new goals for June.

Overall, I aim to cut back drastically on my worrying. I admit that I am a worrywart by nature. When I get stressed and overwhelmed or too many things start going wrong, worry creeps up on me and my mind gets filled with what-if’s and why-me’s. Eventually, I get so caught up in all the negativity and bad possibilities that I shut down. I get stuck in a worry mire and get nowhere. Nothing good comes from it. I’m only left drained of precious energy, time, and sanity.

Instead, I promise to build healthier habits. From now on, I will try to stop, walk away for a moment, take a break, and then calmly find a strategy to deal with the problem or circumstances.

1) I will take a deep breath and pray. I need a clear head and a strong foundation from which to address the issue.

2) I will assess the situation: is it really as bad as my first reaction? What is really happening?

3) I will clearly list all the problems that are arising, so I can plainly see what obstacles I must overcome.

4) I will prioritize the problems and choose which issue to address first.

5) I will determine what type of issue it might be: is it out of my control, something that I can fix on my own, or a problem that will require outside guidance and/or help?

6) I will calmly evaluate my options and create a decisive plan.

7) Finally I will move on to the next problem on my list and go through the above steps until I have either solved each issue, put a possible solution in motion, or let go of the ones that are out of my hands.

Problems and stress are a part of life, but that doesn’t mean I have to be paralyzed by them. I vow to stop giving bad circumstances, complications, and hurdles the power to hijack my life. From now on, I promise to try to put every ounce of energy that I’ve been wasting on excessive worrying into praying and then dealing with my problems instead.

 

© 2020 Amanda R. Dollak

Treasure Life’s Quiet Moments

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I love my quiet times. Whether they are late at night or early in the morning or some time in between, I cherish each and every one of them. I’m not a loner. Actually, I’m mostly a people person. I enjoy good company and good conversation. I also like to keep busy, and most activities are so much more enjoyable with a companion or two.

Still, I need quiet moments. They help me to relax and refocus. They allow me to think and reflect. They offer a prime time to get re-centered mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And they pretty much keep me sane when life gets hectic and chaotic.

It is during these little pauses in my life when I feel most in tune with God, myself, and the world around me. Life can be so noisy and deafening. Yes, it often is joyously loud, but it still can make it difficult to think and to really listen to the subtle things. The daily hum and energy of life makes it so easy to lose touch and feel a bit out of sync.

That is why sometimes I simply like to sit back and enjoy the moment: to savor each breath and each heartbeat . . . to absorb the tiniest of sounds around me . . . and to enjoy the feeling of merely being a part of this world. Suddenly, I am reminded again of how amazing it feels to simply be alive! The news might be all bad. The bills may be overdue. The kitchen sink might be leaking. A loved one may be sick. I might feel underappreciated or overlooked. The hamper might be overflowing out of the bathroom door. The kids may be bickering over who’s turn it is to use the yellow cup.

Nevertheless, life itself is a glorious and breathtaking miracle. Each day is a gift from God and a reminder of his goodness and love. I may be a mess, but I am God’s beautiful mess, and he loves me exactly as I am. He understands all that I’m going through. He shares in my joys and my sorrows. The Lord is always there for me and has a plan that will use all of this chaos for good. I might not see it or understand it now, but I have faith that my Heavenly Father is in control.

It’s during these quiet moments that I’m sure of this the most. I can feel his strong presence and hear his comforting whispers when I stop and simply look to him in my stillness. As I mature, I yearn for solitude more and more. I long to stay connected to my Savior, no matter how busy my schedule becomes. Consequently, I aim to make quiet time a priority throughout my day.

However, I’ve found my morning solitude the most important. Before the hustle and bustle of my daily routine begins, I try to spend at least the first 30 minutes of my day reading my Bible and praying. It helps to start the day off on the right foot. I’ve found that if I make God my first focus, my day goes much smoother. Spending time with the Lord first brings such comfort, joy, and healthy perspective to my life. Ultimately, it’s hard to have a bad day when I know that my Heavenly Father has this all figured out and factored into his plan. It’s much easier to face grueling battles when I can see that God has already won the war. What a huge relief it is to be reminded, in the stillness, that the Lord’s got this, and I’m never truly alone.

 

© 2020 Amanda R. Dollak

2014 is going to be great!

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I know in my heart that 2014 will be a better year. No, it’s not simply wishful thinking or blind faith. Rather, I know it will be a better year because I am going to make the most of 2014 — good OR bad. It’s going to be an awesome year because I’m going to do my best to make it that way.

Looking back through the almost 30 years I’ve been on this earth, I can see a lot of darkness, pain, and ugliness. I survived it all, so I can survive anything. God gives me the strength to keep on going, no matter how difficult life gets. Despite my past and the fact that I have chronic illnesses that make me hurt 24/7, I can honestly say that I am happier now than I have ever been.

I have faith that it will keep getting better, too. I’m learning more and more how to forgive, to move on, and to let all the negative emotions go. Each year, my soul is a little lighter and my heart is a little happier. I don’t know if I’ll ever wake up and feel like everything is perfect, but who really cares? I don’t! Life is a beautiful, amazing, and good gift from the Lord — and I’m learning to appreciate that more as I slowly let the negativity fall away. I’m learning that with the right focus and with unwavering determination, we can find peace, joy, and contentment even amidst the worst of storms.

 

© 2014 Amanda R. Dollak