Lord, you are good and your mercy endures forever.

Before a word is on my tongue, You Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
And you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
Too lofty for me to attain.
Psalm 139:4-6

We are a full week into having our foster daughter in our home. One week of learning someone new, changing routines up, picking up someone else from school, and learning to navigate teenage emotions and friend stuff and drama. There have been some heavy moments, where we’ve learned that there is more going on under the surface here than we thought. There are many players in this drama, and many of them have secrets they are guarding closely.

Yesterday I was feeling quite overwhelmed trying to keep up with all of it.

So, I asked the Lord for some reminders. In a day when I felt totally overwhelmed by all of the lies coming at me, I asked Him to remind me of what was true. Here are some of the reminders He gave me:

• I will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6)
• Do not become weary in doing good, because at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up. (Gal 6:9)
• Do not be afraid. If God is for us, who can be against us? What can man do to me? (Ps 118:6, Heb 13:6)
• I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps 139:14)
• For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son. That whosoever believes in Him, will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16

And with those reminders, the fear vanished. My heart felt comforted and light again. I can keep walking in the middle of uncertainty and what feels scary, because Jesus already conquered death. He already redeemed me. I have nothing to fear. I serve the God who can raise the dead!