If Jesus Is With Me, I’ll Go Anywhere

It may be in the valley, where countless dangers hide

It may be in the sunshine, that I, in peace abide;

But this one thing I know, if it be dark or fair

if Jesus is with me, I’ll go anywhere

C. Austin Miles

The lyrics of this tune floated into my head as I looked around my untidy house.

Even the things I couldn’t visualize from my seat at the kitchen bar began to jeer at me.
“You haven’t touched a scrub brush to us in weeks!” the bathtub croaks.

The white door in the bathroom creakily murmurs, “Those dirty brown smudges you see are probably poop, not mud…” The dryer spins, clinking in a rhythmic circuit, reminding me of the six loads of laundry I have left to fold. Laundry that’s actually been sitting on the floor in my room for a week and a half. The frozen chicken I forgot to defrost adds its icy whisper to the refrain before my barely six-year old son interrupts.

“I want to do school! I just want to do math!”

The weight of my to-do list sags, like a broken gutter on a deserted house. His school is something else I didn’t check off today. I feel overwhelmed by the expectations I’ve set for myself. These expectations never say, “Good job girl!” or “You’ve accomplished enough for today!” No, these whispers drive me forward. A taskmaster, they bid me to slave over dirty dishes while everyone else relaxes after a supper….that I cooked.

These are the whispers that constantly tell me that I’m guilty. I’m never quite sure what I’m guilty of, just a pervading sense of doom reminds me “you’re never enough”. These dark whispers sound so familiar, but are they truly the whispers of my soul? Or are they whispers of another?

Facebook and Instagram tell me that I can have it all and be it all. I can have six children AND a spotless house.

My email is clogged with bloggers and DIY-ers full of tantalizing promises to perfect me for only $159….there’s even a payment plan! Even Christian home-school conventions have a way of making me feel sub-standard. While attending a toddler workshop led by a mother of eight, I shyly asked her how to keep my fifth child, a rambunctious girl, from climbing over the toddler gate she had recommended we use while schooling the older grades. The workshop leader looked at me, and in a dry voice said,

“Well, that’s just a training issue you have.”

I felt stung, and yes, guilty again. It wasn’t her fault that she had touched on my insecurities. It was just another block on the tower of “not good enough, honey”.

But what is the driving force behind those whispers?

The first line in C. Austin Miles’ song says, “It may be in the valley where countless dangers hide”.

I don’t know your upbringing, or your theories about the devil, but I believe the Bible is the unerring Word of God, and that its truth can be trusted completely. So when the Bible tells me to be watchful, because my adversary the devil is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,(1 Peter 5:8) I’m going to trust that God knows what He is talking about.

The evil one himself is hiding in the valley. When life is difficult, he watches for any opportunity to make us stumble. He sees our struggles and does his best to use them against us. He will lead you down a dark path toward self-doubt, addiction, or depression with no remorse. John 10:10 says, “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”.

But did you know that the devil doesn’t always look like the red demon with the forked tail?

The apostle Paul admonishes us in 2 Corinthians that “even satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. “(vs 14-15)

Ahhhhh. The kaleidoscopic blob of color has been transformed into patterns and rhythms. Echos that take us back into the garden of Eden. This is the place that questions and lies first slithered off the cunning serpent’s tongue, and fell into the willing ears of an unwary Eve.(Genesis 3) This is when we first see the deceiver at work.

But this is also the place where God revealed hints of His magnificent plans to rescue a the broken people. This is the place that we understand that although the darkness presses in, the light, better known as JESUS, shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5Esv)

When I hold the mirror of truth up to the lies I’ve listened to so long, the breath of darkness leaves misty residue upon the glass.

But truth reminds me in Hebrews 10:14 that “By one offering He (Jesus) has perfected forever those who are being sanctified”. Truth tells me that it wasn’t my righteousness that saved me, but it was the kindness and love of my precious Savior that regenerated me by the Holy Spirit’s power.(Titus 3:4-7) 1 Peter 2: 9-10 says “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Women of truth, let’s walk out of the lies that have entangled us for so long without a backward glance. Let’s take God at His Word and hold our heads up like the royalty we are in Christ. We are no longer slaves of sin, we are set free! Jesus says in John 8:36, “if the Son makes you free you shall be free indeed”.

I. Am. Free.

Repeat that with me again as Truth sinks down in our souls and we sing with joy because of the goodness of the Lord! This lie of “not enough” is not from Jesus. It is from the evil one who wants to subject me back to the slavery I’ve been rescued from. I will not take this lie as my own any more.

Now, learning to walk in the newness of life may look a lot like my five year old trying to roller skate for the first time.

There’s probably going to be a lot of wobbly legs, shaky half-starts, and desperate clinging to Christ’s hand. But this practice is strengthening our spiritual muscles and rolling us toward the day we’ll just slip on our skates and glide out onto the floor hand in hand with the One who created us to dance. This is when we begin to experience the glorious joy of the lyric Miles wrote that says, “It may be in the sunshine when I in peace abide”. God’s holy peace has replaced the weight of darkness on our souls and we’re in the sunshine!

Take a moment and walk back to the kitchen with me. Let’s walk back to the physical realities and the places God has planted us. Let’s try to understand how these truths can be applied to our daily lives.

My house is still a mess, my bathrooms still need to be cleaned, and the laundry is piling up like storm clouds over a mountain. If I’m not careful, the joy I’ve found can be deflated in a heartbeat.

The issue I struggle with in my soul is plain ol’ ugly pride. My pride likes to throw off the illusion that I have it all together. My heart of pride likes to receive compliments on how well my kids behaved or how easily I managed to fit in a vacation bible school lesson or Christmas play program on top of all my other responsibilities. Pride keeps me scrubbing when I could be soaking. Pride wears me out to the point that I forsake my responsibilities and escape to social media for longer than I want to admit. This habit of prideful dedication and overwhelmed withdrawal is not a solution that leads me away from the lies of the enemy.

But the solution to my problem comes in the form of four words the Lord spoke to me almost two years ago.

Purity.

Priorities.

Placement.

Purpose.

He communicated to me that these four words were like ladder rungs with each word affecting the one above it.

Purity began for me when the Lord began to weed out lies I believed as well as shows, books, and thought patterns that infiltrated my soul and stopped my ears to the voice of Holy Spirit. For example, I was a long-time fan of the show Bachelor/Bachelorette until God convicted my heart about it. Do you know the main reason I was convicted? Discontent. I was becoming discontented with the delightful humor and romance of daily life with my husband, and instead longing for beach trips, and rose petals on my pillow.

I’m currently working on ladder rung two…Priorities. This is a tricky step for me because in my desire to please people, I end up saying yes to outside influences, and no to my family.

As the Lord prunes me, His truth shows me that the most basic and needful priority is Jesus.

Soaking in His Word and truth, is like feasting on crusty loaves of warm, fresh-buttered bread, and dipping icy cold water from a pure mountain stream.(John 4:13-14; 6:35) This is where His wisdom envelops me. This is where I find the strength and stamina to love and serve my family, and to see with clear vision where the enemy is trying to attack with his lies.

I pondered Placement for weeks before the Lord, in His wisdom revealed the answer to my questioning heart. The Holy Spirit showed me a chessboard and spoke to me of the meticulous and strategic way He was able to move me when I was aligned to His will through Purity and Priorities. At the moment, I feel like I’m in the corn maze at the Pumpkin Patch; wading through rustling yellow stalks that tower over my head, unseeing of the end result, yet secure in the steadfast peace of the Spirit’s guidance.

Purpose evokes the idea of an onion’s many layers. I feel that my purpose is to raise my children to love the Lord, and to be strong and mighty warriors of Christ. But is that all? No, for I feel that part of my purpose is also to worship the Lord in the songs He gives me, and to proclaim His greatness to those far and near. But yet again, I see shimmers of purpose in the unction and anointing the Lord gives at times to preach the gospel and tell the good news of a Savior who loves us beyond measure and gave Himself for us. These are a few of the layers of God’s purpose for me, yet I still do not see the end from the beginning like God does.

I begin now to understand the heartfelt cry of C. Austin Miles as he finishes the stanza:

But this one thing I know, if it be dark or fair, if Jesus is with me, I’ll go anywhere.

Herein lies the truth I have labored so hard to find. This is the place I’m letting God slough off the old patterns of thinking, and renew my mind in His truth.(Romans 12:2) This is the unseen work of Christ on my heart….that I’m learning to deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow Jesus.( Luke 9:23)

This is the hill of broken surrender where I say, “Oh Father, not my will but Yours. As long as You are with me, I’ll follow you anywhere.”

If you know the tune to this hymn, sing it as a closing prayer to our glorious God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

c. Helen H. Lemmel 1922