It was a week before the graduation party. I was dreading it. Dreading was a way of life for me then. The Dumbo sheep are nodding their heads. I was thinking of every excuse I could imagine to get out of going. The days were passing too quickly. Maybe I’ll get sick and have to go to the hospital. It was sheer torture for me. Then Saturday came and there was no way of getting out of it. We were in the car on the way and my only hope was getting into an accident. (I’m serious). My heart was pounding. My head was throbbing. How was I going to be able to face all of those people?
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He has already entered every future moment. He will march with you. He will not fail you, or let you go, or abandon you.”
Little Lily just leaned over and whispered in my ear, “It was always my fears going before me, creating worse case scenarios, blowing things out of proportion.” Fear always does that. As the saying goes, “95% of what you fear, never happens.” But sayings like that seems to bring relief for only a moment. All of this reminds me of a Spring afternoon almost 20 years ago.
I was sitting in the office and the phone rang. It was my sister Lynn. She wanted to share with me, what she called a revelation. She had a dream the night before. According to her, the events of the dream really did happen. She called it a 
flashback. I was three years old. Our family was driving somewhere in the car and my father abruptly pulled the car over to the curb and stopped. Lynn and I were in the back seat. He turned to me and started yelling like a monster at me because of something I did. She could not remember what it was. As he raged at me, I was frozen in fear with tears running down my face. She told me that he was always angry with me. He made my soul black and blue. . .and my Mom only made it sky blue.
As I grew up, I got the impression from her that I was a little angel. She would smile as she talked about my blonde hair and blue eyes and my tender disposition. She said I was a good boy, but that tattoo on my soul with the letters F E A R, left me disabled.
The eagles are discussing something. Please share it with the rest of us. “There’s something wrong with this picture. We see mixed messages. We see violence being done to the soul. We see the inner conflict developing. We see the trouble ahead for Mike. Fear is going to rule in his heart.” I am teary-eyed as I listen to this.
“So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be distressed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My strong right hand. I will not let you go.”
About three years before the graduation party, we were doing well, living and loving the high life. The people who were going to be at the graduation party held me in high esteem for what we had accomplished in life. I owned the bar at this time and I was an executive with the Catholic newspaper in Chicago. Little did they know that I was going to be a Humpty Dumpty. . .sitting on the wall built with “successes” and falling down, down, down into one un-fixable mess. All of the king’s horsemen and all of the king’s men couldn’t put Mike back together again.
“Did you hear about Mike?” Yeah, Steve told me what happened. “Can you believe it?” The newbie Dumbos are believing it. All of those at the meeting today believe it. He had a great fall. He fell down as far as a person can go. . .down to the bottom of the shaft of his empty gold mine. And I’m on my way to the graduation party. . .sitting in the back seat of my dad’s car again, frozen in fear with tears running down my face. . .just minutes away from seeing everyone for the first time since my fall and all I could do was pray, “God help me.”
There was a king named Jehosaphat, who ruled the tiny nation of Israel. He was deeply distressed about the three giant armies coming to destroy him and his people. He knew that they were too strong for him to overcome. But he also knew from past experiences, that the King of the universe was on his side and would fight his battles for him, including those with his personal demons.
“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your position and wait. You will see the Lord give you the victory.”
We pulled up to the house where the event was being help. It was in the Beverly neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. An old friend named Tom, walked up to me with his hand extended and said “Hi Mike, how are you? I heard about your troubles and your close call with Christianity.” (The Christianity comment was meant as a dig about religion and the bad taste in the mouths it left with him and most of the people I knew). When he said that to me, these words flashed like lightning in the mind of my heart. . .”I had a Close Call with Jesus, the Savior of my soul .”
From that instant on, through the next four hours or so, my heart was encased in perfect peace. Strength and confidence was running through my veins, supplying pure oxygen to my heart and mind. Genuineness and humility were dripping from my lips and all was well in my soul. I was teary-eyed through much of the experience and it served the good moments well with the people who I talked to. “What is impossible with man, is possible with God.” He put me back together again, better than ever.
The armies that were coming to destroy Jehosaphat, destroyed themselves. God had intervened on his behalf. Then the king and all of 
his people cried out with joy. They shouted from the highest roof tops. They could not contain themselves because they saw the mercy and faithfulness of God with their own eyes. Back in the day, when someone was excited about something spectacular that happened, they would shout “Jumpin Jehosaphat”. Jeepers! Oh My Gosh! Holy Cow! Can You Believe It? No Way!
Jehosaphat’s story ends with this. . .”So the realm of Jehosaphat was quiet; for His God gave him rest all around him and in him.” He gave him rest. He gave him Capital R, Rest. God’s own infinite, all powerful Rest. . .a ruling and over-ruling Rest that was given to him as a Gift.
Almost every day I am doing battle with fear. . .and it is always out to disable me. And almost every day, God Himself becomes my Protector, my Strong Right Hand. My fears disappear like the morning dew when the beams of the Son shine on my heart and the warmth of the Father’s love and the mild breeze from His Spirit, make everything Good in the Moment. So many Good Moments.
“Because of the Lord’s great Love, we are not consumed. His compassion never fails. It is new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.” A new day. A new beginning. A clean slate.
All of the Dumbo sheep, along with the Lilies of the Valley and the soaring eagles are shouting out together with one voice, “Jumpin Jehosaphat.” Such Great Love for the children.
Freely given. Freely received. Free, Love.
A Good Moment 