The Magic Quilt By Cortney Donelson

Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Source: www.ninasgallery.net

I heard the words from the television as I stood in the bathroom drying my hair: “You just need this magic quilt so you’re not afraid.” My curiosity was piqued, and my eyes followed suit. I poked my head around the corner to see what my daughter was watching. It was a cartoon about a little boy who was afraid to get in the pool for a swim lesson. The swim instructor was offering him a blanket (a.k.a. magic quilt) to cuddle with before jumping into the water. “It will take away all your fear.” Really?

I want a magic quilt! In fact, please give me twelve! There have been many times I would have loved to hide under a soft blanket, soak in its fear-expunging powers, and been able to tackle whatever monster that elicited those fears and worries head-on. There was the morning my son was wheeled into surgery at age three. Or the horrifying minutes when at age two, he went missing at a Fourth of July festival among thousands of people. I cannot forget the time when both my husband and I were laid off – a week apart. (Even the nice people at the unemployment office were horrified.) I would have been keen on owning a magic quilt that could extinguish all the worry and fear associated with those instances.

We laugh, but we can be like the children watching these cartoons too. While there are no actual magic quilts that will cover our anxiety, we adults still try to utilize other ridiculous and worldly “fixes” in order to minimize our pain and fear. Alcohol, power, drugs, relationships, sex, careers, success, food, tobacco, fame, shopping … the list goes on. What was my downfall? I used to employ control tactics in order to cover my heartache or fear. My MO, so to speak, was to take charge, give orders, remove choices, and find quick solutions. I was a pro at the ability to compartmentalize, minimize, and strategize. I would pretend I was in complete control and hoped it appeared to others that nothing bothered me.  In truth, inwardly I was paralyzed by fear.

Frankly, it was a very egotistical coping skill. Thankfully, God opened my eyes to a new way. There is one fool-proof approach to chase away the spirits of fear and worry – even for an intermittent fool like me. His name is the great I AM.

Psalm 46:1 states rather emphatically,“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” The Bible leaves no room for various interpretations here. God is always our refuge … our magic quilt if you will. When terror invades our spaces, the Lord is there to help. When financial stability plummets and there is no end to the spiral in sight, the Lord is our strength. When physical pain or loss threatens our future, the Lord is our refuge. When friends betray us, the Lord is there to comfort our hurting hearts. And when evil lurks via the temptations of this world, our Lord can speak over the fear and guard us from the ungodly enticements with His truth and love.  In fact, turning to anything else is idolatry.

So what has this looked like in my life? Here’s an example of a time fear and worry began to overwhelm me and my only option was to let the Lord’s continuous presence smother that fear:

All marriages go through winter seasons. My husband’s and my most recent winter season lasted a long couple of years. I felt as if we were not only on different pages, but we weren’t even living in the same storybook – and it certainly was no fairytale. As ships passing in the night, we rarely talked about anything significant. Instead, our communication was logistical in nature – superficial planning to make it through a day. There was no talk of long-term goals or dreams. For various reasons, we were not connecting on an intimate level. As the months went by, my fears rose. I had no idea what my husband was thinking or how he felt about me. Lies began to embed themselves into my fragile mental state, and it became more difficult to guard my thoughts. Worry crept in and tried to convince me that our relationship was a terrible one, deep-set into winter with no warm hint of spring at the end. Doubts surfaced. Does he still love me? Am I still attractive to him?

So, I began to pray. I prayed hard. I asked God for a miracle. I sought His ever-present help in this time of trouble and fear. I wrapped myself in the quilt of our Lord. No surprises – or magic – here: God was there. Miraculously, winter finally turned to spring. With God’s continued grace and blessing, spring preceded a long summer, and all my icy fears melted away. Since those prayers, summer has reigned.

Are you facing trouble? Is there a fear you are harboring, hoping some magic quilt will appear around your quaking shoulders? Even if earthquakes come and mountains tremble, wrap yourself in God’s love, read about His truth, and most importantly, choose to have hope in His promises. Sing Him praises, regardless of the circumstances. Unlike a magic quilt, God is real. Unlike any misguided coping technique, He will sustain you. It's a promise.

Psalm 18:3 – “Praising I will call upon the Lord; and I shall be saved from my enemies.”

Prayer –Thank You, Lord.We choose to sing your praises. For You are our refuge and strength. Unlike those things we try to fill our heart holes with, only You can sustain us. Only You can heal us. You can build us up, and only You can give us the peace that passes all understanding. Thank You for all of it. In Jesus’name I pray, Amen.

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