No Panic in Heaven Even When You Feel Stuck

Our youngest granddaughter Stella does not like her car seat.  She’s a bit of a Houdini and can wriggle herself out of anything less than a fully buckled in contraption.  Given a long enough ride in the car and she will begin to maneuver to get loose. “I stuck!” she will declare quite loudly. Lots of noise is made as well. Grunting, groaning and more declarations of her situation. It’s cute to us but she’s serious in that once she’s had enough we all know she’s had enough. She has no problem expressing herself, especially when she’s “stuck”.  Same thing happens when she’s trying to dislodge a toy from the toy box. “Stuck!” she loudly proclaims until she manages to pull the right toy loose from the pile inside the box.  Relief comes when Stella is freed from being “stuck”. Sometimes the situation gets so desperate for her that you can hear panic rising in her voice. “S T U C K!” Someone generally tries to come to her aide in those situations, either by calming her down or by helping her get the toy released. If you know anything about Stella’s story you know she has plenty of help – nobody lets her fret for long!

I think about times in my own life when I have felt “stuck”.  You know the times.  When we feel bound by life’s situations and circumstances we are like Stella – we begin to lament, often loudly, “I’m stuck!” We’re strapped in and feel like we’re in the longest, roughest ride of our lives. It’s hard to feel anything but the pressure of the straps of life. We can’t do the driving, we can’t choose the road, we can’t take a deep breath. We cannot get relief and we don’t know if relief will ever come. Are we destined to live stuck? Are we never going to get out of the situation and walk away?

Other times we are trying to get hold of things we want. They don’t seem to want to dislodge so we can take possession of them. We groan and struggle and huff and puff. Still that thing we think we must have is stuck. We continue to work and plan and beg and plead – just because we want it. Maybe we’ve been told we could have it so we’re trying to make it happen. Frustration, consternation, impatience and fury come to our assistance but they are no help at all.  Will we ever take hold of it? Will that prize ever come from beneath the pile holding it down so we can possess it? We find ourselves in a panic and that just makes things worse.

God speaks to my heart: My precious child. There is no panic in heaven. When you are stuck in the situation you don’t like and you are fretting and pleading and trying to force your way out, I am there. Nothing that comes into your life causes panic in the Kingdom. While you may be surprised at the sudden trap of trouble, trial or testing, I cannot be caught by surprise. While you are in a panic I am fulfilling My purpose in you. It is a teachable moment for you as you learn to let panic go and allow My peace to enter in.  In due time I will loosen the hold of the momentary light afflictions you are going through and you will feel free again. Don’t try to make things happen on your own – you’ll just stay frustrated. Relax your hold on even those things that are promises you have received. In due season you will reap everything I have for you. In time, the thing that seems so elusive, the promise that hasn’t come forth will be released to you.  You can trust Me in the meantime and relax for it is peace that will guard your heart and your mind so that you can quit being frustrated. I AM that I AM. No panic, just peace. No fuming, just faith. Look to Me when you feel you can’t go another moment and I will carry you through to the better day. I am loosening the hold life has on you little by little. Although it’s imperceptible to you, one day you will see just how truly free you really are in Me.

Oh beloved, replace that frown with praise! God is with you in your situation. God is working it all out for your good and His glory. God is changing things for you so that you will learn to walk free in Him, no matter what happens.  He loves you and He’s for you so you can rest in His promises for the rest of your life, free as a believer in Christ! Ultimately His goal is that you become more and more like Him. Relax, rejoice and remain – abide in Him and watch as He turns things around just for you.

I Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Are You In a Tight Spot?

Back in the 80’s my brother spent a lot of time caving throughout the limestone caves of his area in Texas. He still loves it, but as he says, “it’s a sport for young people” and “very dangerous”. When he began to talk about crawling through tight spots I began to feel claustrophobic! He even shared about the time he got stuck in a tight spot. Once his friend talked him through it, they came through to a massive open cavern full of wonder. Why would anyone want to edge their way through areas so tight they could get wedged in? I don’t know about you, but getting in a tight spot just doesn’t appeal to me. The thought of massive rock above and below, with no way to dig through, dig out or dig away just makes me feel like I’m suffocating. To think that anyone would choose to do that is beyond me.



I know sometimes the way of life seems broad and free. We breathe easily, we enjoy the beauty of creation and we admire the sky and all that surrounds us. Other times we find ourselves in a tight spot, either of our own making or that which is just part of life. We want to hold our breath, punch our way through and feel like we’re going to die! Panic sets in and we can’t go forward and we can’t go backward. We want to scream, but it only makes things worse. The situation we find ourselves in has us stuck. No one can hear us and no one can help us.


Thankfully for the believer, no matter what kind of spot we’re in or how we got there, we have someone who is always ready to move heaven and earth for us. We call out to Jesus and find He is already there! It might take some time to get dislodged from our circumstances, but all the way He leads us. His heavenly promises are there to guide us through like a light shining in the dark cavern of worry, fear, trouble, disappointment, cares and more. Unlike cavers, who rely on other people’s knowledge or their own wits, we have a Savior who watches over us. We have a God who is there to see us through. We have the Angel of the Lord encamping around us, when we fear only God!


Are you in a tight spot? You may be wondering how it could have happened. You took precautions, you calculated the risk, you kept yourself safe and yet here you are. Troubles surround you like boulders in a cave. Your heart is beating wildly because you don’t know what to do! You could be thinking you got yourself into this; you’ll have to get yourself out. Or you maybe pointing the blame at someone who put you in this position, hoping they get what they deserve. But that doesn’t help you does it?


Oh beloved, call out to the Lord! He is the One Who will answer when no one else hears. He is the One Who will set you free when no one else knows you are trapped. He is the One Who will deliver you from the tight spots of life. He will always answer! He will always come to your aid! He will always be willing! He never turns off His response system and He never refuses to help those who call on Him in spirit and truth. You can relax as you trust in His unfailing love. You can rest, even in the hard places, for He cares so very much for you!


Try Him today and let Him prove His love and care for you always! You are His beloved and He will stay with you through it all!


Psalm 86:6-7 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; and give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.

Psalm 118:5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;He brought me into a spacious place.

Psalm 138:3 As soon as I pray, You answer me; You encourage me by giving me strength.

2 Samuel 22:20 He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me.