“God is not going to push you up or down the mountain of doubt. You will stay in those rising waters as long as you need to. He meets us in His mercy no matter where we are in the process. But the decision to trust His plans for both the up and down resides in us.”- Nicki Koziarz
“But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.”- Genesis 8:1 (ESV)
In Chapter 10 (“What Goes Up Must Come Down”) of Flooded, Nicki Koziarz begins with a harrowing, yet humorous account of her Uber ride to San Francisco. Because, as Nicki phrases it, an extreme-rule following rental car agent informed Nicki she had an expired driver’s license. As Nicki quips, she never needed to know that rule. Until she did.
Above all, the road trip frayed the Uber driver’s nerves. By the end of the trip, Cesar sobbed. And he still faced the return trip! The worst road of all, though, was Bear Creek Road. Forever renamed by Nicki as Death Creek Road. The long, windy road consisted of many twists, turns, and near flips off the edge.
As a result, Nicki compares her wrestling with doubt to that trip up Bear Creek Road. Yet, we need remember that God doesn’t forget. For when we feel that others fail to see or value us, Nicki notes, it’s incredibly easy to start believing God views us the same way. Especially in extended seasons of pain, loss, grief, or hardship.
In conclusion, Nicki stresses the meaning of the word remembered in Genesis 8:2. The word remembered in this passage means God’s about to take action on Noah’s behalf. Time for the flood waters to recede. What goes up must come down.
God used wind to push the waters back. Nicki explains the benefits of wind:
“Wind . . . blows where it wants to blow, which is very much what it feels like to be dictated by doubt. And yet, wind can also be a picture of change as we allow the Holy Spirit to move, like wind, through our souls — pushing the doubt away until our feet stand on firm ground again.”
Today’s question: What might push you up or down the mountain of doubt? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “One phone call with God – no options”
