Week Fifteen - I Shall Not Die

Beside the Well

Do you ever have dreams that make sense? I do.  Sometimes they wake me up and I grab my pencil to jot them down because I know it is the Lord speaking to my heart.
             A few weeks ago, while meditating on Psalm 118, my thoughts kept hovering around the swarm of bees in verse 12 and the statement in verse 17,
“I shall not die.” God woke me with this dream.
            On one side of me were people laughing and pointing fingers.  They were jeering because I was trying to become a writer.  They were more talented and qualified than I. There were loads of them! They were embarrassed by my attempts, so they laughed and ridiculed.
            On the other side, were people who wanted me to believe they had the answers to my concerns.  They were calling me to follow them, but I could see their intent was to use my efforts for their own advancement.  They weren’t going to help me, but use me.  They might not be laughing openly, but behind my back they were trying to set me up for a fall.
            In front of me was an open road.  No markings just a plain path.  I stood for a moment wondering how to go forward.  Then, I heard Proverbs 17:24.  “Wisdom is before him that hath understanding.”  And it was followed by
Isaiah 30:21, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,
This is the way, walk ye in it.”
            God used the dream to assure me that though the enemy swarms like bees, God has a path for me and I need only look to where He has taken me before and listen to His voice.  God isn’t finished with me yet.  He is my strength and salvation.  The enemy may be swarming and trying to knock me down or divert me from the path, but God’s strength will prevail and His mercy will endure forever.
            So I swatted away the bees and continued forward.  I shall not die!  I will live and declare the glory of the Lord.
            Maybe you are facing doubts and fears.  Maybe you hear voices seeking to discourage or sidetrack you from your goals. The best thing you and I can do is keep our eyes fixed on the Lord and continue to move forward by faith.  There will always be someone better or more talented than us.  There will always be those who would want to set us up for a fall, but we need not allow it. Swat away those bees, live, and give God the glory!
            God has a path—a plain path that we are to follow.  Find it and walk in it!