Sometimes in order to move from fear to faith, we need the Father to give us a perspective change. We need our eyes opened, just like when Elisha prayed for his servant to see that he was surrounded by horses and chariots of fire.
During our first term in the Desert Sands, I had an experience that left me battling fear. It was Christmas time and I was heading with our two young boys to a program at our daughter’s daycare. We were late, and I was walking at top speed with Karl and a plate of cookies in my arms, and 5-year old Brent a few steps behind me. As we neared the traffic circle in search of a taxi, I saw a small window of opportunity to cross the road right after a microbus whizzed by. Unfortunately for us, the microbus driver lost patience waiting to get into the traffic circle and threw the bus into reverse just as we were crossing. The bus bumped me, but I managed to stay on my feet and hold on to Karl. But Brent didn’t fare so well behind me – he fell down and the wheel of the bus actually rolled over one of his legs. I can still remember the sound of him crying while bystanders rushed to his aid and yelled at the bus driver to stop.
I was able to get Brent back home with help from locals. We then took him for an X-ray which came back totally clear! An hour later he was running around our apartment with just a few scratches on his leg. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t broken anything!
The physical impact of this event was small, but the emotional/spiritual impact on me continued for weeks. I started to see accidents in my mind every time I was out with our kids, creating a lot of intense fear. I had a sense that there was something spiritual to this problem, but it wasn’t until the District Superintendent (DS) from Alberta was visiting that everything became clear.
We took time to pray together and ask God to reveal where He was in that situation. Immediately, I saw an angel bend down and lift the weight of the bus over Brent’s leg. The memory instantly transformed from trauma to faith! Instead of seeing from an earthly perspective, I was able to see from His perspective what had really happened that day. The second thing the DS suggested was that I needed to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17) and stand against these attacks of fear with truth and faith in God. I found some Scriptures to use to stand against these attacks, and a couple of weeks later I was free from the burden of fear.
I am thankful that God has given us a Spirit of power, love, and self-control (2 Tim. 1:7) and that He reaches into our lives to give us His perspective when we need it most.
