#FEARLESS365 is a yearlong study of God’s commandment to us to live without fear. For 365 days, we will focus on one scripture and volunteers from all over the world will share their personal thoughts and what God has shared with them on the specific verse. For more info… go here.

When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place.

Psalm 118:4

This verse actually has a very real meaning to me as there have been many points in my life where I was on my face and cried out to God to set me free from the bondage that had damaged me in many ways. It took me years to build on that faith that I had to even come to the point to trust what God said he would do… set me free.  In my anguish, which literally turned out to be a series of tests, I not only built up my faith and trust, but I built up my relationship with God and learned to lean not on my own understanding of what was going on, but to know that He was in control at all times.

Had I not been in anguish, I would not have the understanding of who God is to me, what He is to me, and how He can deliver me in the correct perspective as I do today. This verse tells me that God always answers when we come to him with open and humble hearts. When we humbly submit to Him and turn over all that we are to Him, he will provide. God then becomes Jehovah Jireh; literally meaning the Lord will provide, just as He provided the ram in the bush for Abraham when he was asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham submitted to Him totally, trusting in Him even to the death of his own son if need be.

So when we cry out in anguish, we have already literally come to our own wits end when we have tried probably multiple times to “fix” something that was not our job in the first place to fix. The anguish was put there to prompt us to ask God for his guidance and help…and He will provide and set us free.  Our sins, which was passed down to us from Adam and Eve’s fall cried out to God to mend the separation from Him and to be set free from total and permanent separation from Him. What did He do? God sent us the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus, his only begotten Son to set us free. As we now know whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

Shawna Hill is a PDM Administrator (Healthcare) who lives in Columbus, Ohio. She is  unique as God made me for His specific purpose and His glory (my calling) and there is only one me.