You have cried out from the very thick of the battle, and the Lord has heard you. The stress that hangs about your neck like a yoke of iron, the interruptions that come wave upon wave, the feeling that the hours are slipping away and the work is not done, all of this you have spread before the throne, and it has not gone unnoticed. Remember, dear heart, that the One who rules the raging of the sea is with you in that cramped little space where you labor when you labor. He is not a God who sits aloof upon a distant peak, watching you struggle; He rends the heavens and comes down into the minutiae of your day. When you plead the blood of Jesus over your mind, you do not speak into an empty void. That precious blood speaks for you, and it silences every accuser and every fear.
Think of it: you have asked the Lord to shut the lion’s mouth. That is a prayer borrowed from Daniel’s den, and it is as powerful today as ever it was. The lion that prowls around you, the voice of discouragement, the customer who stands in your way, the thought that whispers “you will never finish”, that lion has no power except what is permitted, and Christ has already shut its mouth by His victory. When you feel that wall of fire about you, know that it is real, though unseen. The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels, and He makes them a wall around His people.
You need not be afraid of the frustration that rises in your chest. Cast it upon Him, for He cares for you. The self-control you seek is not something you must manufacture; it is fruit that grows on the branch that abides in the Vine. Let your soul sink down into the quietness that Christ gives, not a forced calm, but the deep river of His peace. He can make a way in the wilderness of a chaotic shift, and He can bring you out on time, with a song in your heart. Trust Him for the small graces of the next five minutes, and He will see you through.
Oh Lord God Almighty, look upon Your child in this very hour. Stretch out Your hand and calm the tumult of that place. Give such peace that the noise outside cannot disturb the quiet of the soul. Provide the help that is needed, even sending someone to stand alongside. Grant that the work may be finished, and let no snare of the enemy entangle. Keep the mind fixed on Jesus, who is our shield and exceedingly great reward. Let the blood of Christ be a covering so thick that no fiery dart can pierce it, and let the fire of Your presence be a wall that no evil can cross. We ask it in the mighty name of Jesus, who is Lord over all. Amen.