Courage Through HIS Strength!

You are sitting in the car driving with a parent toward your local DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles).  Your heart is pumping ten times faster than its normal rate and therefore your breathing is faster as well.  When your hands lift off the steering wheel you can visibly see them shake, so you quick grab the steering wheel in a different position and then realize that you are gripping the wheel so hard, that your knuckles are white......

rita, a photo by meghannash on Flickr.

That was me December of 2008.  I had turned 18 a few months earlier and knew that it was time to get my license.  I felt comfortable with my driving, but I was nervous about the written test (What random questions would they ask and I wouldn't know them?) and the thought of driving with a police officer watching my every move was just a little (greatly) nerve wracking to me.

With all these emotions swirling around, I tried to reason with myself.  "Millions of people have taken this test and survived-this is not a life or death situation.  In the grand scheme of things, this is so small.  What is the worst that could happen?  I could fail and have to take the test again at a later date.  Not a big deal."  But my reasoning was not stopping those butterflies from square dancing in my stomach!!

If there are any kindred spirits out there, you know what I am talking about!  Being a person on the shy side, this was hard!!!

Dad and I pulled into the parking lot, parked the car and then he reached over, took my hand and prayed with me.  As he prayed, the verse Philippians 4:13 came to mind, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  And I knew right then, that God had given me that verse to help me through the next hour.  "I can do all things through Christ" played through my mind over and over and over again like a broken record.

I knew God was in control and had a reason for anything that happened that day.  I could do anything with God's strength and that was what I clung to as I circled the answers to the questions, talked with the officer, drove with him and parked back in the parking lot.

God's promises are there for us to claim and take hold of.  His Word will not return void, but full and overflowing.

Our goal over the next two weeks will be to share with you our favorite verse(s) or verse(s) that have helped us through different times in our lives.  I don't have a favorite verse, as so many of them have rung true, brought comfort and courage, and been so special through different situations I've dealt with.  However Philippians 4:13 was truly a verse that held me above the fear that was trying to bring me down and it encouraged me to trust HIM!

Oh, and for the record, God helped me to "do all things" with flying colors.  Both the written and driving test were passed on the first try! =)  God is good!