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darkness, encouragement, experience, freedom, God's guidance, God's voice, joy, light, Paul Schuberth, peace, prayer, spiritual power
In December last year, less than one month ago, God made me emphatically aware of a certain Scripture. Sometimes I read the Scriptures on my daily Catholic kitchen calendar and I am bored. Sometimes they speak to me and I keep them, however, very rarely I sense that God is ‘shouting at me’ through them. The latter happened as I read the following verse below.
“The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.” (Zeph 3:15 ESV)
It was as if God made me believe the truth expressed above as soon as I had read it. Afterwards I was wondering what time or incidents He might have referred to. As I have had an anxious personality all my life, I doubted that God might be done with me regarding this before I leave this earth, eventually. I cannot say that great miracles did happen since then but I sense more freedom in several areas of life I always tried to control by this or that ridiculous human means.
Just lately as I pondered again on the WHY God let me suffer from different toothaches for three and a half years now without any doctor or drug that could really help me – although it got partly better meanwhile – my worst tooth broke into pieces last Sunday. It was the last tooth that made it possible for me to really chew upon while eating and I wanted to keep it as long as possible despite the pains. I already have one dental implant yet I recall it was a horror for me as I would have extreme pains for a half year where I suffered from sleep deprivation and mental problems because of this implanting. 
Today I do not have the money for two or even three dental implants I would need and I have had no leading to decide anything about it, either. Therefore, I have been waiting for His direction and I sensed nothing….. but His peace. Although… out of the blue there was the freedom to get rid of this tooth also. THAT was a miracle God had worked in my heart, indeed!
This afternoon I went to the dentist after I had called him. I felt that God had led me in His proper timing as I was bathing in His peace and joy, ready to have this particular tooth be pulled finally. However, as I was walking downtown, God showed me certain signs (mainly numbers and letters) through which He promised me to help and work a miracle. Unbelieving Susanne, though, was rather inclined to believe God was pointing to another more important issue in the future, not to such a ridiculous and unimportant thing like a small tooth that enables me to keep chewing on meat and nuts, for instance.
After I had got the injection, I was surprised at how long the dentist needed until he would begin to pull the tooth. He was working more on it than usual! Unable to speak I prayed and wondered and prayed and….. In fact, the dentist reconstructed the tooth which I had not expected at all!! This 3 1/2 – years pain in this particular tooth had left me on Sunday already as it had broken into pieces (thank God, my other toothaches are not that bad anymore). And now I can really keep this (for me) important tooth?? It seems to me I tend to keep preaching that God loves and protects us even regarding the tiniest little things yet did I believe it myself? 🙄
Some years ago as more and more fears popped up from my subconscious mind, I received a wonderful gift from a precious American brother and friend. At that time I struggled particularly with the fear of the impending death of loved ones. I feared that we might lose our daughter after our son also. How often I have tried to get rid of these fears I cannot count anymore. But God slowly opend up every wound and dark cellar of my heart in order to let His light shine in.
That process has been painful and I often thought it got even worse instead of better. But God ALWAYS keeps His promises. When the time is right, His promises will be fulfilled. In contrast, no human being can be trusted regarding their promises, God alone is faithful (cf. the Bibles verses below).
“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” (Ps 118:5-9 ESV)
I am not going to reveal the name of this brother myself, yet I dare to post a picture of the figurine I received from him. Immediately as I had read the Scripture engraved on it, I would know that was God speaking to me (somehow ‘loudly’). 🙂 Since then the figurine has been kneeling right beside my computer in the office and whenever I checked the verse again, I wondered, “Lord, how long….” Today I can say that almost all my fears have been increasingly replaced by His peace. If that is no miracle, I don’t know…
“I prayed to the Lord and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” (Ps 34:4)
All images by Paul and Susanne Schuberth 2020
Entering the Promised Land 
Dear Susanne, what a wonderful answer to many prayers we have prayed for your teeth and your many fears! It is a joy for me to be one in the Spirit with you and growing in Christ together as we both overcome the weaknesses of our old natures IN Him.
Our daughter and son-in-law are in India and will be for about another week or so and their safety has been heavy on my heart with all that is going on in the middle east and the treats of violence on Americans. Your prayers for them as well as those who read this are highly valued by me.
May our Father continue to bless you with His peace and love,
Michael
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Dear Michael,
Thank you so much for your many prayers over the last six years! God has not answered all of them yet, but in His time and according to His will, He will answer them, I think.
Our God-given fellowship has helped us both to grow through iron sharpening iron, so to speak. It is so much faster, though not always easier, when two (or three) meet together in the Spirit, that is, when the Body meets its Head. Thank you, Jesus, for leading and changing us over all these years! 🕊️
I have prayed for Dinah and John and I will keep doing so. “Please, Daddy, protect them from all these Asian esoteric and other demonic spirits that might attack them on their trip. Amen.”
May God keep you in His peace and in His love. May He protect your body, soul and spirit, too, my brother! 🙏❤️
Your sister,
Susanne
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Well, Susanne, thanks for your prayers. I am discovering that anxiety for my family members is not a stranger to me. I was fine until this possible danger popped up. God won’t let us get away with a shallow faith that is mostly based on theory, but He lets our faith be tried just as gold and silver is tried in the refiner’s fire and it is not fun. But Peter shows us His ways in all this…
“[We] who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1Pet 1:5-7, ESV)
Funny how we (especially men) can write about these things in an emotionally distant, theological way, but then comes the trial of our faith and He drives the lesson home into our hearts.
Bless you and your family, dear heart,
Michael ❤
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You are very welcome as to my prayers, Michael.
“…grieved by various trials” – we both know how that feels, don’t we? – “so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found”. God does nothing without a reason. It seems to me as our old nature cannot trust Him, we are being tested until we KNOW He is a good God and Father who provides EVERYTHING we need.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer 29:11 ESV)
If we listen to His voice and obey His leading (imperfectly as we are still learning), there is nothing to fear “[f]or the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” (Prv 1:32-33 KJV)
May God keep you and your family in His peace and may He give you the assurance that He keeps us all safe in His hands.
Susanne ❤
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One of my favorite places of scripture is The Gospel of John at the end of chapter 13 & the beginning of chapter 14***Peter says I will die for you and Jesus says no you will deny me. Then He says but don’t be troubled I will always be with you ****He understands our weaknesses and we relate to Father by His faithfulness. It’s wonderful to be in New Covenant union with The Godhead.
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Yes, Ken, it is very comforting to know that He understands us in our weaknesses and helplessness. If God had not become a human being, would we have ever trusted Him the way we can do now?
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A beautiful illustration of God’s concern for the smallest of our needs, Susanne. Not that your pain was insignificant. Truly, however, He numbers even the hairs on our head.
Like you, I am prone to anxiety. For me, this often involves the welfare of loved ones — something over which I have little or no control. It should be comforting to leave their welfare to God. More often than not, however, I find it extremely difficult.
Handing off my anxiety to God requires acknowledgment of my limitations, and surrender to His will for the lives of my loved ones (whatever His will may be). I “know” — intellectually, at least — that God loves them even more than I do. But trusting Him is the issue.
Much love,
A. ❤
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Thank you for your edifying words, Anna. 🙂 You wrote so aptly,
“Like you, I am prone to anxiety. For me, this often involves the welfare of loved ones — something over which I have little or no control. It should be comforting to leave their welfare to God. More often than not, however, I find it extremely difficult.”
In my case, I would even say that this has been an impossible thing for me. Whenever I have no control whatsoever, I am inclined to “run”, that is, I try to avoid thinking about what concerns me and I try to distract myself which… honestly… never really works.
It seems to me more and more that with God truly EVERYTHING is possible, but for me – NOTHING! So, if I finally surrender one issue to Him, I always realize that He immediately helps!! But oh, how long I need until I come to the point of no return (to self)! Meanwhile I have come to believe that He respects our choices. If we habitually cling to our self, then He is waiting in the background until we are eventually at our wits’ end and cry out for help to Him. But then, He is always there by our side! 🙂
Much love to you! ❤ ❤ ❤
Susanne
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Boy, Anna, do I relate. I have been going through this very thing… being anxious about the well being of our only daughter and son-in-law who have been travelling the length of India on their own for the last week and a half. With the downing of that Ukrainian airliner over Iran, my anxiety got worse, for they flew to Mumbai right over Tehran on the way there before that incident happened. I was glad to hear that the FAA has banned American flights from Iraki and Iranian airspace and that many other airlines have followed suit. God knows how to try our faith, for sure. If God leads you to do so, your prayers for them would be a blessing.
Thanks, dear sister for your comment, ❤
Michael
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