This morning I was praying for a friend I care deeply for.
They are in a very dark place right now. Maybe you are able to relate.
I have had seasons of being in this place myself. Seasons of adversity,
suffering, anguish, and distress. My mentor in the ministry, Terry Wardle called
it his “dark night of the soul”. If you’ve lived long enough you’ve most likely
experienced a taste of it too. I believe based on the way God designed our personalities,
we will experience the depths of that dark place on different levels. My friend goes
to a very dark place and feels the intensity of it to the core of their heart and it grips
them with a fear that seems to be fierce and relentless. It is a tormenting place and
if you have ever felt anything close to what I’m trying to describe you will ache deeply for
anyone you know battling fear or anxiety on this level. Maybe you can relate so much,
you feel as though I’m describing you.
My friend asked me to please pray that the spirits of fear would be removed. I immediately began praying when I read the text message. As I prayed, asking God to bind the spirits of fear and to pour out His spirit upon this person, a picture came into my mind. It was of a beautiful waterfall in Honduras. I had hiked Pulapanzak years ago. When I saw the fall as I was praying, I remembered the experience I had hiking behind the fall.
The scariest part of the adventure was diving into the river and positioning myself
for the swim/hike. This picture was taken from the top of the falls, we dove in at a much lower point just above the pool of water seen below. After finally gaining the courage to dive in, I surfaced and realized I couldn’t hear or see. The fall was so
powerful that it blocked out even the nearest noise. The person beside me was
screaming at the top of his lungs straight into my ear and I couldn’t hear a word. Before diving in, the group was instructed to immediately pull together and interlock hands. It was not an easy feat because the power of the water was sending a spray into our faces that robbed us of the ability to see. We had to reach out and grasp each other and begin to follow the guide by touch only, the ability to see or hear were gone!
I was truly taken back by the incredible power of the waterfall. As that memory flooded my mind in prayer, God reminded me of a powerful truth. Perfect love casts out fear!
God’s love drives out fear! God had given me a picture of that waterfall in my mind to show me the greatness of His Love. The waterfall was a representation of His fierce and powerful love for my friend. He has that same overwhelming love for you and for me too! God was reminding me that as I was praying for fear to leave, I must also pray for God’s love to come. It is very important that we fill the place the enemy has held in our hearts and minds with things of the Holy Spirit. Scripture teaches that the enemy will return stronger than before if we don't. As I was praying and picturing my friend standing under that powerful waterfall, I knew the waterfall was a picture of God’s incredible love washing over them.
God’s love is like a waterfall!
I wanted to encourage you to stand under His waterfall of Love today and let it drive out any fear that is trying to scream in your ear! Crank up your praise and worship music and swim in His love for you! You can rest in it too! Floating is allowed down stream!
Review
The author calls us to invite Jesus himself to enter hidden painful memories, reorder them with his presence, release damaged emotions and allow them to be reprocessed by the adult brain. Terry calls this formational prayer, and he has written the formational book for pastoral care and human well-being. It is a liberating read for all who suffer the winds and waves of emotional pain and all who care for their recovery. --Don Williams, author of 12 Steps with Jesus and Start Here: Kingdom Essentials for Christians
About the Author
Dr. Terry Wardle is Professor of Spiritual Formation at Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio. He is the author of Healing Care, Healing Prayer Helping the Broken Find Wholeness in Christ (2001), Draw Close to the Fire Finding God in the Darkness (1998), The Transforming Path, A Christ-Centered Approach To Spiritual Formation (2003), and other books. He conducts frequent seminars on emotional healing for counselors, pastors, therapists and other caregivers. He lives in Ashland, Ohio.
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