The Power Of God's Word
Troubled Momma,
As I packed up my desk, my home of sixteen years, in preparation of retirement, I read every sticky note I placed into an envelope. It was at this desk I had fought the battle of my mind. I had to place what I could see in the natural under the canopy of truth of what God promised. I had to choose who I would believe. It was a battle indeed, and through this battle, I found our most powerful weapon.
Things were far from perfect in my family, but looking from the outside, you probably wouldn’t have guessed it. My son was in his last year of college, set to graduate. He was handsome, he worked out...it appeared that he had it all going on. But the truth was, when he hit that campus, temptations arose. His faith was tested. He turned away, denied his faith and all that he had been taught. He was raised in church, but we weren’t Godly parents. That’s a hard admission. But it’s true. Oh, to have it to do over! I would have made different choices and spent more time in God’s Word. My husband appeared to have it going on too. He had a good job and worked hard to provide for his family. He had cattle and worked hard to succeed in that and to please his father, his earthly father. All this pressure drove him to hide in the barn every evening with his bestie, brandy! Who could blame him. He did have that contentious and angry woman at home. (Proverbs 21:19) See, I was too worried about myself to see what he was going through and how he was drowning in alcohol. I was so self-absorbed that I made it all about how this affected me instead of seeing his battle and asking the only one, God, who could help him to do that. It was all about me. We went to church every Sunday and rarely missed. But it was a long week from Sunday to Sunday without God.
There were signs that something was wrong with our son while he was at Marshall University. I shrugged them off. After all, he had witnessed firsthand his dad’s struggles, and I had told him the dangers of drugs and alcohol. No way would he go there. No way. I will never forget standing at that same desk and hearing the words no parent wants to hear. Ever. “It’s not the flu again Mom, I’m dope sick.” I was making him an appointment at the local clinic to be seen for the flu. Why did he keep getting the flu? He must have compromised his immune system with steroid use. That's what I thought. I was not prepared for this reality. I left that desk and went straight to him. I could fix this. I fixed a lot of things, so I thought anyway.
Within a few weeks, it was apparent that I could not fix this. It was beyond me. My husband dove deeper and deeper in alcohol to numb the pain and worry. I had to find an answer for my family. Working in the court system for more than a decade had educated me on where this ended. Drugs led to death or jail. Nobody ever got sober. They just kept coming back. That was my reality. I was fortunate at the time, and it was just a four-year stint, to work with two of the most faithful Christians on the planet. Neither had experienced what I was going through, but I felt comfortable in confiding in them about the situation. They began to encourage me with the Word of God... little sticky notes or daily devotions tore off a calendar of scripture soon littered my desk! God knows exactly who you need and who to send. Thanks be to God!
As I sat there day by day, the reality in front of me and the promises of God in front of me, I had to make a choice who to believe. As the situation with my son spiraled, I dug deeper into the Word of God. I will never forget the day God set me down to read to me Hebrews 11. “Now without faith, it is impossible to please me. You have to believe me, Alice”, He said. “I do believe you, I will believe you God” I replied. One particular day, the enemy was screaming at me “God hasn’t saved any of these other children, why would God save yours?” Good question, I thought. Oh, that about did me in! Why would He save my child and not these others? On the way home that evening, I was hopeless. I’m not going to lie. The thought of driving off a bridge did cross my mind, but then I heard a voice say, “Fight back!” John 3:16 popped in my head. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” That’s why God would answer me! Because He loves me! Not only me, but He loves those other parents and children too, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him! (Hebrews 11:6)
You see, that Word that was shared with me, it got into my heart and my mind! I ate it. I stayed in the Word, because it is truth and no lie from the enemy can stand against it. I began to speak this scripture out loud, first as a whisper, because the battle was hard and I was beat down that day, but then it came out louder and with confidence each time I spoke it. I was on cloud nine when I got home, full of hope and the promise of a new tomorrow.
On the Saturday before Father’s Day of 2020, we got the phone call that every parent with a child in addiction fears. My son had been found overdosed, his life was spared, and he was on the way to the hospital. My husband and I immediately went to be with him. On the way, my husband was whirling accusations that God had left us, abandoned us, let us down. I knew this was a lie, for God spoke to me as I was getting in the car and said to me “See, I will take care of him. I love him, he is my son first.” I knew that God had spared his life, and that God would get the glory for it. Every time my husband would accuse God of abandoning us, I would respond with Word. “All of my children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” (Isaiah 54:13) I made it very personal. The promises in the Word were MY promises for MY family. No longer would the enemy make me think they weren’t for me.
As I packed up my desk, sweet memories filled my mind of these battles. Sweet, you say? How could they be sweet? Because in these battles I found that “God is for me.” (Psalm 56; 9-13) I found that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) I learned that “we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up! (Galatians 6:9) And “if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can see mountains move. (Matthew 17:20) I was told to “ refrain my voice from weeping and my eyes from tears, that my work would be rewarded, that my child would return from the land of the enemy. (Jeremiah 31; 16-21) I learned that “His Word is forever settled in heaven.” (Psalm 119) And that I would see the goodness of God in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13) And thank God, I learned that He is faithful, even when we are not. (2 Timothy 2:13)
I am happy to report that both my son and husband are delivered from addiction. The promises of God are YES and AMEN! Don’t lose hope! Get in the Word and find YOUR promises. The bible is God’s personal Word for you. It is where you will find hope, prayer strategies, and truth to stand against all the lies of the enemy.
God reminds me that while I do go to war for my family, I am His child. He fights for me. “All of HIS children shall be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” ALL includes me. Thank you, Jesus.
Alice Bennett