It’s late November and most of the trees in our neighborhood have long been bereft of their leaves. As usual, the stubborn silver maple in our backyard has refused to relinquish its foliage, having reluctantly dropped only half. What has fallen, we’ve raked up twice in the past week, and both times we wondered where we would put all those leaves. The piles in our yard were huge and our trash cans few.
We found though, by stomping the leaves down in the can we compressed them, fitting much more than expected. There was a lot of air in those gigantic leaf piles, and once pressed down, the substance was much less than their appearance suggested. In a similar natural vein, it snowed here last night— but it turned out to be the light and fluffy kind. Conditions were such that the falling snowflakes layered lightly, with air in between, so what looked like a lot of snow was quite easy to remove.
Problems we face in life can sometimes be like that. They may look huge and overwhelming, but once you start addressing them, you discover they’re not as big as they looked. The enemy of our souls wants to magnify our challenges and fears, just like scary hand puppet shadows we may have seen cast on the wall in childhood. The devil seeks to intimidate us through what our eyes see, so we lose heart and give up.
This is what happened to the children of Israel when they finally reached the land flowing with milk and honey—the good land that God had promised them. Ten of the twelve spies sent to check it out saw a huge insurmountable task with opponents much bigger than they were. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, looked past the problems to the promise. Many years later, the shepherd boy David was faced with another giant who’d intimidated the entire army of Israel. David recognized Goliath was full of hot air and no match for his God. Encouraged by what God had done for him in the past, he ran out and brought the giant down.
Perhaps something you’re facing has taken the wind out of your sails. Maybe it’s a financial, health, work, or relational challenge, and the devil’s milking it for all its worth. He points to it before you go to bed and as soon as you awaken. He magnifies that thing so it dominates your thoughts. But do you know what? Just like those leaves we were mashing down, the God of peace is willing and able to crush Satan under your feet! (Romans 16:20). You are not alone. God is with You, and He is WAY bigger than that problem.
How do you bring it down to size? Remember His promises and all He has done for you in the past. Believe that with Him nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). Ask Him how to handle the issue and trust as you follow His lead— letting His peace guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). Greater is He who is in you! (1 John 4:4).
That was exactly what I needed to know today!!! What a great analogy to things going on in all of our lives that seem overwhelming!!!!
A reminder that we can crush the works of the enemy (and the enemy) when we turn to God !!!❤️