In Jesus Name

 I will lift up my eyes to the hills-

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

The other day my siblings were playing a game and from the next room I could hear an issue escalating. As the only adult in the house I had been left in charge of such matters. 

After muddying through the usual confusion of what actually happened, the "victims" crying and the peacemakers long discourse, I finally encouraged my offended little brother to pray and forgive those he felt had hurt him. 

As he concluded his weepy prayer I noted that he had not forgiven "in Jesus name."

When my sisters and I were young, my mom taught us to say or pray, "I forgive you (or them) in Jesus name." The reason was, you had to forgive even when you didn't feel like it. 

Now in situations where you weren't really that angry or offended we didn't always say it. But when you were still angry, you had to say it. And I must admit my sisters and I often used this as our final "punch" to the other. For to say "in Jesus name" (not always uttered that sweetly!) gave the clear message of how angry you were. Still we recognized that this was it, once we said that, we had to let go of our anger toward them and we were going to let it go because we'd just asked Jesus to help us!

After leaving my siblings to continue their game I could hear my brother still crying. The crying quickly escalated to almost hyperventilating and I called him out to the other room with me. I calmly told him he forgot to forgive in Jesus name. Between gasping breaths and tears he prayed again and forgave in Jesus name. I put my arm around him and encouraged him to take a few deep breaths. He calmed down and a few minutes later he was back happily playing the game.

This incredible contrast brought about a vivid image of what we look like when we try to follow Christ in our own strength. He physically could not forgive. His dramatic reaction showed his great effort in letting the matter go, but he couldn't. 

Now sometimes we deliberately try to do things in our own strength, but I find for myself, I tend to slip into it by chosen accident.

Over the last several months I've been dealing with some significant health issues*, and though I don't wake up in the morning thinking "I'm going to walk this situation out myself!" I can find my mind getting overwhelmed with decisions that need to made. What doctor should I try? What med should I take? What if this route doesn't work? What if I do that and wish I had done this later? Etc.

Next think I look like my little brother, hyperventilating in my mind over what I was never meant to handle on my own. 

But when I cry out to the Lord, and turn to His word...

...He who keeps you will not slumber.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 121:3,5,8

He rushes in to rescue me! Like my little brother, the Lord responds to our cry in power! He lifts the weight from us and His peace floods in.

We weren't created to walk this life alone. We can't handle it. So the next time we find ourselves mentally or physically hyperventilating, may it remind us of the power we have "in Jesus name." 

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Colossians 3:17

*The condition I've been diagnosed, though somewhat life altering, will be manageable, once we find the best way to manage it.