The Lord is with you.
Do you have a simple sentence that you keep repeating in your head in certain situations?
I do! Some people call them mantras–which I think sounds a bit too spiritual–but basically just a one-liner you can tell yourself as a reminder from time to time. Here are a few of my favourites:
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Just believe! Based on Mark 5:36 where Jesus told Jairus, whose daughter had just passed away, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” We even had a banner with “Just Believe” in Zac’s hospital room.
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Do not let your heart be troubled or afraid. Based on John 14:27
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God will perfect that which concerns me. Based on Psalm 138:8
Repeating them a few times in my head always helps me shift my focus away from my problems and unto my Heavenly Father.
I can imagine Mary, the mother of Jesus, had one too. When the angel Gabriel visited her, He said, among other things, “The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28 NIV).
As I was reading the story of Jesus’ birth in preparation for this series, trying to see it from Mary’s POV, I couldn’t help but wonder how many times she would have repeated that little line to herself in the months to come, “The Lord is with me.”
I picture her while she faced social outrage about her pregnancy before marriage, whispering under her breath, “The Lord is with me.” Or heavily pregnant but getting rejected at every inn in Bethlehem, reminding herself, “The Lord is with me.”
Do you have a Biblical catchphrase? Feel free to borrow one of mine or Mary’s. Or, even better, ask the Holy Spirit to give you one of your own and to remind you of it often.
