Feeling "All Shook Up?" Part 2 by Cheryl Lutz

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." (Psalm 23:2 KJV)

"Many of the places we may be led into will appear to us as dark, deep dangerous and somewhat disagreeable.  But it simply must be remembered that He is there with us in it.  He is very much at work in the situation. It is His energy, effort and strength expended on my behalf that even in this deep, dark place is bound to produce a benefit for me.” (A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, by Phillip Keller)

FLASHBACK: As the tech wheeled me down the long halls of Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, all I could think about was finally having an answer.   An answer for the plethora of bizarre medical symptoms I had been experiencing for months.  I had four little ones at home ages 1-8 years, and they desperately wanted their mommy back.

She wheeled me into a room; the doctor walked in, closed the door, and began speaking to me as if I were a naughty toddler.

She explained to me that the EEG was completely normal, as well as the other tests. She condescendingly informed me that I did not want to have seizures, because "people who have seizures are not allowed to drive." She likewise explained that I did not want to have Myasthenia Gravis either, because “it is a terrible disease that sometimes leaves ones in wheelchairs.”

Did she honestly believe I was there because I really WANTED to have some terrible illness?!

She then let me know they had ruled out the possibility of there being anything organically wrong with me.  She had also taken the liberty of making an appointment for me with one of their leading psychiatrists.

As she spoke, I felt myself slipping into a black hole.  My world was "ALL SHOOK UP!"

Even after arriving home, all I could see was the blackness of the situation.  I couldn't see how any “benefit” could come from this "deep, dark place."

About an hour later a friend dropped off some food and a sticky note. The sticky note read: "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:10

After reading that simple verse from God's Word, ...my perspective changed. Jesus knew what was happening; He was with me in the trial, and in the end I would "come forth as gold!”

Friends, our Good Shepherd promises us "green pastures and still waters." But we must follow Him, even when it "appears to us as dark, deep dangerous and somewhat disagreeable."

Fast-forward 15 years:  I now have a diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis and a seizure disorder.  I'm not allowed to drive right now, and the Myasthenia Gravis does affect my daily life.  But thankfully it forces me to "lie down in the green pastures and rest beside the quiet waters."

What about you? Is your life "ALL SHOOK UP!”?

Follow Jesus (our Good Shepherd).  "This deep, dark place is bound to produce a benefit!"

Cheryl Lutz is passionate to teach women how to tear down strongholds and find freedom in Christ. A pastor’s wife for twenty-five years, Cheryl possesses a vibrant love for teaching the Word of God. She is the founder of Securely Held, LLC, where she works as a trained and experienced lay counselor and speaker.

You may contact Cheryl through her blog at:www.securelyheld.com

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/securelyheld

Twitter: @clutz40

Email: clutz40@gmail.com