All Is Well (Really?)

When we hear, ALL IS WELL, do we breathe a little easier,

or

do we immediately think,

REALLY?

WHAT PLANET DO YOU LIVE ON?

WHATEVER! 

I have to admit I can fall into both categories.

However,  I am still a sucker for a WELL story, stories that start WELL, go WELL and end WELL!

Deep down inside I believe we all are.

I love a story when the sick are miraculously healed and made WELL, the thirsty seek and find a water WELL, the confusing way is revealed and made known full WELL, and the depressed find joy, causing their soul to sing

IT IS WELL!

When I watch a movie with someone who has seen it before, I am a bit annoying. I have to know ahead of time what is and what is not going to be WELL, when the credits roll.

One of my favorite movies of all times is The Impossible.

In December 2004, close-knit family Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas, the idyllic holiday turns into an incomprehensible nightmare when a terrifying roar rises from the depths of the sea, followed by a wall of black water that devours everything in its path. Though Maria and her family face their darkest hour, unexpected displays of kindness and courage ameliorate their terror.

SPOILER ALERT

THE FAMILY FINDS THEIR WAY BACK TO ONE ANOTHER AND THEY ALL LIVE.

IT ENDS WELL!

However,

the movie is a nail-biter. I had to know the outcome before hand or I would have made myself sick speculating.

I am one who, when I watch a movie, hear a story, listen to a song, or read a book, immediately puts myself in it, fiction or non-fiction. If you ever want an “emotional- baggage-carrier-companion” I am YOUR GIRL! I will pretty much jump in any story, wherever and whenever, anyone lets me.

I can jump into  NETFLIX with my kids on season 10 out of 20 and pick up immediately

in the ER of Grey’s Anatomy,

the weird, blood-sucking, love stories of Vampire Diaries,

the off-the-chain, completely gross, yet addicting, drama of The Walking Dead

or

the shallow, stupid, yet captivating, world of Gossip Girl.

Sorry for the sidebar;

Back to the WELL stuff!

I have a precious 20-year-old nephew who was in a terrible car wreck recently. My brother called to tell me about his son and he calmly opened the conversation with

“ALL IS WELL”

but…

The “but” in this story is that his son, the youngest of 3 amazing, young adult children, has a broken neck, a collapsed lung and numerous fractured ribs. It was a one car collision with no passengers. He had to be cut out of the wreckage and airlifted to the closest trauma unit. Upon looking at pictures of the demolished vehicle, you quickly recognize it is a miracle that my nephew is alive. When focused on the scene of the accident, it would appear

IMPOSSIBLE

that anyone could have survived;

yet,

my nephew did.

Praise The Lord!!!

That crash scene is my story, our story, completely broken, unable to breathe on our own, with a crippling cage of pain encasing our hearts. We could not get up and out in our own strength, or anyone else’s. God in His loving mercy looked upon the hopeless wreckage and He provided The Way, the miracle of grace that can’t be understood but is greatly appreciated, nonetheless. When I shift my gaze from the “crash scene” to the face of the Father, I no longer care about understanding.

I am simply awestruck by the ONE who makes all things possible in Christ!

Without Jesus, The Rope of Hope extended to ALL, we don’t survive

BUT…

Do you hear the phone ringing, because it is? And on the other end of the line is the kindest voice, waiting for us to answer, waiting to whisper,

“ALL IS WELL.”

We know the end of the story, the end of HIS-STORY; therefore we have hope. We are supernaturally empowered by the God, who created EVERYTHING and Who raised the dead to life!

Love won and Heaven awaits us.

But…

where we have a loving, gracious Savior who is jealous FOR us, we also have a very real enemy who is jealous OF us! It was lucifer’s jealousy OF God that got him kicked out of Heaven in the first place. Satan knows his time is short. He sees God’s harvest, even when we do not. Since he cannot snatch that which is not his, he spends his limited time here on earth PUTTING DIRT IN OUR WELLS.

…the Philistines became jealous of him. So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt… Genesis 26:14-15 NLT

Although we know deep in our HOPEFUL HEARTS, ALL IS WELL,

Faith is the confidence that what we HOPE for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1) **This kind of HOPE is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. (Hebrews 6:19)

we still live in the meantime,

and I do mean, MEAN TIME.

We have an enemy who is crafty, but not creative, franticly PUTTING DIRT IN OUR WELLS. It often feels like we are wandering aimlessly and painfully in a world where satan never stops dumping dirt,

dirt such as:

Tsunami whirling water,

crowded ERs,

“takers” who suck every ounce of our blood,

masses of “walking dead”,

distraction, devastation and despair in the “gossipy” media

and

calamitous, car crashes,

just to name a few.

Identifying the dirt satan is putting in our personal wells, helps us to fight FROM VICTORY, not just for victory! (Thank you Priscilla Shirer for that “FROM” reminder!)

The next time we recognize the devil’s DIRT DUMPING, may we run to God’s Word for the perfect shovel, refuting the lies with TRUTH, throwing the dirt back in the little “dirt devil’s” face!

Psalm 91 (MSG)

1-13 You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you’re perfectly safe;
his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
drop like flies right and left,
no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God’s your refuge,
the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
and kick young lions and serpents from the path.
14-16 “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
“I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
give you a long drink of salvation

**Article first published on Ourcityonahill.net