Jerusha: I’m so excited to have Christian fiction author Amanda Dykes as my guest today! I met Amanda online and then found out she’s just as sweet in person when we met face-to-face at a conference last year. And now (see movie mention below), I learned we even share a favorite movie! Join me in giving this special lady a big, FW Community welcome!
By Amanda Dykes
I held my breath and wrapped my fingers tighter around the steering wheel, leaning forward as if that might improve the wintry road conditions.
The usually-black asphalt was covered in white—and with snow falling freshly over paths made earlier that morning by other travelers, I couldn’t tell whether there might be ice beneath, or if it was a warmer, friendlier slush that might greet our tires. So I continued on at a snail’s pace, pulse racing all the while.
And then something happened.
I glanced at the rearview mirror. And do you know what I saw?
Tire tracks. Mine. Revealing solid black beneath them. A nearly-sure sign that what I was dealing with was a warmer snow, a less-slick substance than I feared.
If I hadn’t looked behind me, I never would have had that reassurance.
Isn’t that a funny mystery? That in this world, where we’re often told not to look back, to fix our eyes on the future, God is inviting us to do exactly the opposite? To find solace, promise, comfort for the future, in looking back at what He has already done. Not to dwell in forgiven mistakes of the past, but to linger in wonder at the wonders He has done. And in the lingering, we can draw hope, courage, strength to battle the fear that so often comes when we forget to look back, and look only at the great unknown looming on the horizon ahead of us.
He is a wild and wonderful God, who surprises us and works in new ways at every turn. So we may not be able to decipher just how he is going to work in a situation, by looking at what he’s done in the past.
However, looking back at what He has done can inspire us to remember…
- That He will show up. Meet us in whatever is to come. He always has, and always will.
- That He is mighty. Mightier than whatever we may face.
- That He is creative. And where we may see no solution or hope, He can create a beautiful hope more exquisite and fresh than anything we could have contrived on our own.
- That even though we can’t see what’s coming, we can know without a doubt that He will be there.
- That He will provide strength, a way forward, and will never leave us stranded.
What’s beautiful, too, is that while we do have our own experiences to look back on, we also have more: the testimonies of those around us, and the accounts of scores of people before us.
What are you facing today? What is your great unknown, your looming horizon? I invite you to think on it a moment, and then to remember this:
The God who will meet you in that unknown, is the same God who “made the heavens,” “spread out the earth upon the water,” “made the great lights…the sun to govern the day…the moon and stars to govern the night,” “divided the Red Sea asunder…and brought the Israelites through the midst of it,” and other sweeping wonders catalogued in the epic poetry of Psalm 136. The same Psalm which repeats twenty six times that “His love endures forever.” And that love…it is for you.
There is a scene in the beloved BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South where the hero, Mr. Thornton, utters into the falling snow a plea for the heroine, retreating in a carriage, to “look back at me.”
He speaks it in love, in longing for his beloved. Can you imagine this, ten-thousand-fold, spoken to our hearts by the Author of the Universe, the Lover of our Souls? Jesus beckons us to “look back at him.” To, as Job 37:14 puts it, “…stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.”
And in doing so, he not only stitches our hearts ever-closer, but also gives us courage to stand on as we see who He is, what He does, how He loves us. He vanquishes fear, and replaces it with the thrill of meeting Him there in the future, whatever comes.
So. Snowy roads, or looming unknown future…today I am thankful for the gift of a rearview mirror, and a God who will show up in the future just as He has in the past. Mightily, faithfully, lovingly.
What experience from your past can help you face the fears of today or tomorrow? Has looking back at history, your own or in the Bible, helped you fight fear? Please share!
Amanda Dykes is a drinker of tea, dweller of Truth, and spinner of hope-filled tales. She spends most days chasing wonder and words with her family, who love a good blanket fort and a stack of read-alouds. Give her a rainy day, a candle to read by, an obscure corner of history to dig in, and she’ll be happy for hours.
Currently working on a new novel for Bethany House Publishers, she is also the author of the critically acclaimed Bespoke: a Tiny Christmas Tale, a contributing author to The Message in a Bottle Romance Collection, and enjoys connecting with her readers at her website, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
While we eagerly await the release of Amanda’s debut novel with Bethany House Publishers, check out her novella in this romance collection!
Join the journey as one word etched in Latin on an ancient bronze bottle travels through the centuries to reach five young women who are struggling to maintain their faith in God and love.
An Irish princess, a Scottish story weaver, a Post-Colonial nurse, a cotton mill worker, and a maid who nearly drowned each receive a message from the bottle just when they need their hope restored. But will the bottle also bring them each to a man whose love will endure?
A Song in the Night is the second novella in this collection, and will take readers on a journey from the wilds of Scotland to the bustle of 18th century London and the magic of the Handel’s famed floating symphony.
Comments 15
Thanks for the uplifting post! It is truly such an encouragement and a wonderful opportunity for praise when we look back at our past and review all the marvelous things that God has done in our lives.
MJ, thank you for your kind words– and for the beautiful reminder that looking back is an opportunity for praise to our God! Thanking Him today for your reminder.
The record of God’s faithfulness in the past is our greatest treasure for building faith in His future grace.
Thanks for the movie recommendation and for this inspiring post!
Michele, what beautiful words! You are right; it is such a treasue. You remind me of Corrie Ten Boom’s words– “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Beautiful post. Thanks for the reminder.
Anne, thank you for joining us here today, and for your kind words! God is so good, I need this reminder often and He’s so faithful to gently nudge this truth back into my heart.
There is so much truth here! We move forward grounded in the certainty that God has always kept His promises and will be as faithful to us as He was to the Israelites!
Helene, how I love the way you put this. We can be grounded in such beautiful certainty because He is faithful. Thank you!
Thank you for this reminder that looking back at God’s faithfulness in our past and in others’ lives encourages us that He will be faithful to love us, care for us and strengthen us no matter what comes in the future. My sister-in-law and I were talking today about an experience that just happened to us last month on the day before my son’s wedding when we were in the car with my husband driving and he almost passed out at the end of our 2 hour drive. He’d had a fever and got overheated in the car and his vision started going blurry. The Lord’s hand of protection was so clear – we were right at the exit, I was able to talk my husband through which way to steer and tell him to brake which he did just in time at the end of the exit ramp so I could put the car in park before he hit the gas pedal in his confusion. And as soon as my husband got out in the cold air he revived and was fine. As we brought this experience up again tonight, my sister-in-law said it was like God reaching down and showing us that He would take care of us. I had been so stressed the whole week leading up to the wedding, but God saw me through it all. Why do I keep worrying?! He is faithful!
Oh, wow, Marjorie, what an incredible tale of God’s perfect timing and care. I love how He reached down into that very scary moment and wrapped you all in His peace and protection. I’m so glad your husband (and all of you!) are okay; thank you for sharing this testimony of His faithfulness!
Author
Amen, Marjorie! What an amazing story of God at work in preserving and protecting you and your family! Reminders like that are SO awesome, providing the memory and proof we can cling to in fearful times to remind us we needn’t worry or fear. We are in the hands of our loving, merciful, and powerful Father! 🙂
Amen! It’s so comforting and strength-giving to look back at what God has done in our lives and how he has demonstrated his love, and trust that he will do so again.
Kelsey, you said it so perfetly– “strength-giving”. It reminds me of 2 Timothy 1:7 — “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Thank you for your beautiful reminder!
Author
Yes! Love that verse, Amanda–it’s one of my favorite fear-fighting verses that I carry with me! 🙂
Author
So true, Kelsey! I love how you put this–we can trust that God will demonstrate His love again…and again and again! 🙂