It may have taken place long ago, or more recently. Perhaps only last night triggered memories of what now has you in the fetal position lying in bed, trying every distraction and coping skill learned in lieu of whatever was your favorite poison to numb the pain. Even now, in a dry house you feel just as sick physically and in mentally anguish as then back then.
Even when you’ve given up and turned everything off, the silence even yet still screams at and within you. No two people experience flashbacks the same way, and the same person may experience the flashbacks in a different way as time evolves.
What encouragement you do remember are phrases like “just keep fighting. Take it one day at a time. This is only temporary. This is not happening in the present moment, you survived.Reach out and talk to someone”. But there are many times when there are no words, images and words too intrusive to get a thought or word in edgewise even in your own mind.
It’s 3 am power outage in the middle of a sunny summer Sunday afternoon.
Then the one thing that connects you to reality, the one thing you don’t need to speak a word to crawls up next to you and slowly the mental hurricane of shrapnel begins to abate. The storm begins to subside and perhaps tears of relief and gratitude fall onto the paws and fur of the one who loves you unconditionally, without any judgment, and simply reminds you of life here in this present moment in time. This companion may very well even be the best example of love, God, gentleness or forgiveness you’ve come across in years – or perhaps ever. Whatever the case may be, their relationship and the undeniable truth of the power of their companionship, and the testament of how many times they’ve pulled you out of the brink, off the mental, emotional or physical cliff is priceless.
So this is a tool called “Verse Map” by the James method that my mom had given me a while ago that after using had some surprises in store. I call her mom but that’s not her given her name. I called my grandmother Gooma. Yet again, that wasn’t the name everyone knew her as or the name her parents gave her, but these are both “my names” for them.
That I found out last night was super helpful in calming me down, forcing myself to slow down mentally and actually give the Word the space to speak. (All posted at the bottom)
I found it interesting that Isaiah 40:27-29 and Isaiah 43:1-4 use the exact same terms, “Oh Jacob how can you say the Lord does not see your trouble? O Israel how can you say God ignores what is right”, then “But thus says the Lord, He who created you O Jacob, He who formed you O Israel”. Now yes I know the following is Exegesis but just give it a shot.
What if all our interactions from standing in front of the mirror, to the people we interact with and the world on the who is based when our eyes are open and we answer to “Jacob”.
What if when we’re talking to God, doing our best to keep our hearts, minds and eyes on Him (and even when we can’t) He calls us by the name “Israel”? What if there’s a name only He calls us that belongs only to us and we know is 💯 from Him because He’s the only one who knows that name? (John 10:3)
He promises that He WILL sustain and uphold us; He will NOT let the righteous be shaken.
I’ve still got some more work to do on this but I just wanted to share and see if anyone else wanted to join in.
Sometimes names and promises get lost when read too fast- at least in my own experience.
It looks very complicated and overwhelming but that’s just the instructions page because there’s a lot on it.
1.) Psalms 55:22 AMP
“¶Cast your burden on the Lord [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail). [1 Pet 5:7]”
https://bible.com/bible/1588/psa.55.22.AMP
2.) Isaiah 40:27-29 AMP
“¶Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become tired or grow weary; There is no searching of His understanding. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who has no might He increases power. [2 Cor 12:9]”
https://bible.com/bible/1588/isa.40.27-29.AMP
3.) Isaiah 43:1-4 AMP
“But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity]; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. “For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt [to the Babylonians] as your ransom, Cush (ancient Ethiopia) and Seba [its province] in exchange for you. “Because you are precious in My sight, You are honored and I love you, I will give other men in return for you and other peoples in exchange for your life.”
https://bible.com/bible/1588/isa.43.1-4.AMP
4.) John 10:2-3 AMP
“But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep [the protector and provider]. The doorkeeper opens [the gate] for this man, and the sheep hear his voice and pay attention to it. And [knowing that they listen] he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out [to pasture].”
https://bible.com/bible/1588/jhn.10.3.AMP
