Parallels: Home and Spiritual Renovation—The Deck: Building on High Places
(This is part of a series on what I learned through the process of renovating our home, and the parallels to a life yielded to and experiencing God’s work in renovating our life and spirit)
The framing contractor and I agreed that I would complete the deck after he had installed the basic framing. He used 2 x 6 treated joists bolted to a ledger board tied to our house, as well as beams attached to the support posts on their foundations. The biggest challenge for me was this: the framing for the deck was 12’ above the ground— pretty high up for a person who isn’t that good with heights! The framework was set 16” apart on center, so there was plenty room for someone to fall through if they weren’t careful. Thinking about this job woke me up a few times, and my prayers went to God each time.
Because of our harsh Minnesota winters, I purchased composite deck boards and a heavy-duty deck railing system. I installed safety ropes and wide walking boards on the framework, then carefully followed a pre-determined plan for installing the decking. Patience and awareness were foremost as I took my time installing the deck planks and the railing system. Above all, I prayed and asked for God’s blessing and protection as I worked. To overcome my fear of heights I thought about and prayed some verses from Scripture:
“ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone…” (Psalm 91:9-12)
“…do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
Before long the deck was completed and soon passed inspection by the city. As I look back on the work, I see how God blessed that project and surrounded me with His arms of protection—and His angels.
There will be times in each of our lives when we are called to face our fears and move forward in the path God leads us. If we are truly following after God—not just doing our own thing—we have access to His unsurpassed power and peace. We also have an unseen enemy that wants us to remain paralyzed and imprisoned by our fears. But God’s perfect love overcomes and casts away fear if we open ourselves to Him. There have been uncertain, even frightening times in my own life when I had to choose to trust God or give in to fear. In those circumstances I’ve learned that voicing my fears to God and asking for His divine help—and even deliverance— is the only way to get through. Speaking God’s Word out loud —yes, I mean praying aloud God’s promises in the Bible—in an essential part of prayer, especially in difficult circumstances.
God’s breath in His Word unleashes His power and action. We read in the book of Proverbs that God’s word never returns empty, but always bears fruit. In Genesis we see that God speaks, and all things are created. In the Gospels we read that Jesus speaks and storms are calmed, people healed, and the dead are brought back to life. Incredibly, even Jesus’ followers who spoke in His power saw amazing results: prisoners set free, sick men and women made well, and people brought into a life-changing experiences with God.
I invite you to allow God’s words to breathe out through your own voice. I have seen how powerful and effective they are. I am aware that some of you who read this are facing much more difficult and scary challenges than I faced in my deck building experience 12’ in the air. I don’t know what heights you have to climb to overcome those problems, but I do know that, in Jesus Christ, you are not alone. Even more, He will be your champion and bring you through to a victorious end—becoming the person God created and envisioned you to be. Some day we will look back at our challenges and see that God used them to mold and strengthen us. Until then, remember and stand on God’s word in Psalm 18:
“God makes my feet like the feet of a deer; and causes me to stand on the heights” (Psalm 18:33)
Here’s to high places!
God bless you!
Chris Atkins