Scaredy Cat

Hilary Hall

Midland SDA Church

October 29, 2022

Special Music Note – The song that I sang for special music today is called “I AM” by Jill Phillips. I’ve been singing that song now for about 23 years but the words are timeless. Even though God is not a mother, so to speak, the comfort that He has given me through tumultuous times has been like the warmth of a loving mother when she holds her baby close. His love has been constant, unfailing, gentle and tender during so many seasons of my life where I was trembling. Now that I am a mother and caring for a chaotic household and the daily tasks of cooking, cleaning, teaching, and nursing, I have a new perspective of God’s love for me. I pray that as I preach this sermon, even if you don’t have the same struggles, that you would recognize His tender mercies in your own life. (Prayer)

When a baby is about four to five months of age, pediatricians start encouraging parents to introduce solid food to their infants. We still have videos and pictures from when Evelyn and Hazel first tried solid food. (Show picture of Evie and Hazel). The first food that Evelyn ever tried was pureed avocado and it was the funniest thing for Nathan and I to watch her scrunch her nose as she discovered something new. We ask her to make this face again every time that she eats avocado. Hazel has always been willing to try one of my concoctions, at least once. Our first experiences giving Evie and Hazel solid food are precious memories that we still laugh about to this day. So, as I began to feed Juniper her first solid food, I never thought this milestone would be any different than it was in the past.

It was a normal, chaotic morning in our house back in May of this year. We got up and started eating breakfast and Juniper had eaten some oatmeal like she had been doing for about five days prior. We went about our routine after breakfast starting with morning worship and then we got busy with homeschool. I wish I could say that everything in our house was running smoothly, however, not a day has gone according to my plan in well over a year. Most days my oldest daughter works very hard on school but gets frustrated by the distractions as she desperately tries to concentrate. My toddler/middle child is typically doing a myriad of tricks to get the attention she needs from me.

A few hours after our breakfast, Juniper was more fussy than usual. I just thought she was overly tired and ready for a nap. But very soon, my clothes were drenched with a bucket of milk. The first time that she vomited, I dismissed it as just a lot of spit up as most babies do at that age. I don’t squirm at the sight of bodily fluids of any kind since I’ve spent a number of years as a registered nurse. However, about 10 minutes later, it happened again and again – and I knew that this wasn’t normal.

I started to clean Junie at our kitchen sink and noticed that her face was very pale and her body felt limp. After cleaning her up, I went down to our den and sat on the couch to cuddle and feed her as I collected my thoughts and went through the nursing knowledge that I pushed to the back of my mind ever since staying at home full-time. I decided to called Nathan to let him know that I was going to take Junie to the pediatrician when he came home for lunch. After I got off the phone, when I laid Junie on the floor for a diaper change, I noticed her lips were blue and she was lifeless but her eyes were open. I vigorously rubbed her sternum and hit the bottom of her foot while yelling her name to try to get her to respond and – nothing.

I dialed 911 and told the dispatcher what was happening as my body and voice shook with fear. I could hear the ambulance coming down our street almost as soon as I told the dispatcher our address – we only live about a half a mile from the hospital. I scooped Junie up in my arms and ran to unlock the front door, wanting desperately to hand her off to someone more skilled than myself. As I waited near the front door for the paramedics, I called Nathan to come home and be with Evie and Hazel. I knew he would be close behind the ambulance since he also works at the hospital. Then, I explained to Evie and Hazel that they would see an ambulance coming to help Junie. I asked them to pray for her and I told them that Daddy would be here with them soon.

By the time the paramedics walked through the front door, Junie had perked up and was alert – enough to give them a smile and make a fool of me. But Nathan and I both knew that she was not well. The paramedics took a few vital signs and said that they would follow me to the emergency room.

I drove the half a mile to the ER where I foolishly assumed healthcare workers would be waiting for me at the door. I was disappointed, frustrated and angry that it took a long time to see a triage nurse. I was losing my patience as I watched the nurse slowly taking Junie’s vital signs. I was still covered in milk, Junie was sitting for a long time in a dirty diaper and it really felt like no one cared about the weight on my shoulders. I would like to say that we got answers that day and had a good plan to care for Junie but we didn’t. On the surface, Junie seemed fine to the doctors and nurses, her urine and covid tests were negative, so we were discharged home.

I was wrecked with the trauma of that day. I got very little sleep as I researched all night, determined to find out what happened to my baby that day. I finally stumbled upon information that fit the exact description of her symptoms – child eats trigger food, approximately 2 hours later vomits until shock. Food protein induced enterocolitis syndrome, also known as FPIES was sounding more frightening with each description and testimonial that I read. Unless you’re an allergy specialist, most small ER healthcare workers don’t know how to recognize or treat kids with FPIES in a timely manner.

I became terrified about Junie’s health, growth and development and about how this would effect our family. I wondered if the pediatrician would refer her to a gastroenterologist or allergy specialist. I worried about how I would feed my children and add another allergy to our list. I was anxious to travel to see Nathan’s family so far away without having a hospital in every city. Just the thought of potluck gave me anxiety as I wondered if our family would ever feel the peace of letting our guard down when it came to food. What if someone offered my kids food while I wasn’t looking and it made them sick? There were many worry bubbles clouding my mind. I didn’t feel capable or skilled at handling my kids needs. I thought God had picked the wrong person for this job as their mother. I was desperate to pass my worries, burdens, anxieties and fears to someone else.

My emotions and stress were at an all-time high in the days that would follow. Evie and Hazel came down with fevers just as we were about to travel to Tennessee for a concert and trip to see family. The weather forecast for the areas we would drive through looked severe. We decided to travel after the kids fevers were gone, in hopes that we could enjoy the concert with family. I played meteorologist the entire way down to Franklin, Tennessee. Each hour on the radar showed severe storms. I am terrified of tornados so I was prepared at any given moment to tell Nathan to pull over and we would stop our trip. As I watched the hourly radar and the clouds, the storm kept getting pushed later and later. We made it to our destination without a drop of rain.

God was trying to get my attention in regards to my fears, anxieties, worries and burdens that I was carrying. These burdens were downpouring on my heart. I was barely casting my cares upon Him and mostly trying to use my hands as the umbrella. Everything that I tried to do wasn’t working or bringing me peace.

 I’ve always been a bit of a scaredy cat – timid, cautious, jumpy and on edge. As a child I was scared to sleep in my own bed well into my teens. I was scared of the doctors office, the dentist office and any other appointment that may cause a little pain. I’ve been scared of flying and scared of heights, especially bridges. And now as a mother of three, we are outnumbered and don’t have enough arms or padding in our home to keep them all safe at the same time.

Motherhood and middle-age has opened the floodgates of my fears. I’ve wrestled with fear for my family, friends, our church, our world and myself. But quite frankly, I’m tired of the fear and anxiety controlling every decision that I make. It has held me back from a purposeful and peaceful life with the Lord. Facing these challenges has been difficult, embarrassing and painful. However, I am in the process of learning to tune my radio the Lord’s station to find out how to ride out these storms.

If you read even an ounce of news these days, you know that it’s difficult to escape every headline that plays on our fears. Fear of war, fear of famine, fear of political parties, fear of disease. While writing this sermon, guess what the first news headline was in my Facebook news feed? “Zoo closed, snake hunt on after “Houdini” the “clever” king cobra escapes enclosure.” We can’t even enjoy the zoo anymore without worrying about a lurking cobra! Fortunately, Sweden is the country that has to worrying about that at the moment.

A quick search on the internet yields a substantial amount of research that is all in agreement about the science of fear. Fear and danger alert our nervous system and set our response to that fear in motion. Cortisol and adrenaline, our stress hormones, are released. Our blood pressure, heart rate and respirations increase. Blood flow changes direction and travels into our limbs so it’s easier to throw punch or run for our lives. As parts of our brain are revving up, there are other parts that are shutting down. Our cerebral cortex which is used for reasoning and judgment become impaired and it’s difficult to make good decisions or think clearly and critically.

Fear can quite literally paralyze us, as well as, sabotage our joy, peace, love and purpose. We shouldn’t dwell in that muck for long because God has a work for us to do and He needs a people who trust Him implicitly, obey Him completely and worship Him only. Trust and obedience are the antidotes to all of our fears.

As I said earlier, fear is not a stranger anymore since I became a mother. If you’re familiar with our multi-level house then you may be able to picture me being upstairs with one child while the other child is on another level. Try as I may to keep all of my ducklings in a row, they are all over our house and into everything. And just as soon as I turn my back, someone is crying because they are hurt. Typically, I respond by running to the screaming daughter, adrenaline and cortisol flooding my system and cerebral cortex on vacation. And most of the time the first things out of my mouth is, “this is why I told you to stop doing gymnastics on the furniture” or something very similar. If I was thinking clearly and making a good decision, I would assess the level of urgency and then respond with more appropriate actions.

God knows that there are wild animals loose at the zoo. Not the literal zoo but the spiritual chaos that we are entangled and it’s mentioned in

Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.”

On the horizon we can see a swell of fear headed our way but we can put on this armor of God and as Peter says in 

1 Peter 5:8-11 we can “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.”

If you haven’t noticed, Satan hates Christians and his behavior is described as making war with the saints. He’s using military tactics and has just about mastered the art and science of this battle on land, sea and air. His approach to combat is to flex his muscles and to bare his teeth. Other times he is as quiet as a stealth bomber until it meets it’s target. He knows that when we are fear-filled, we may lose sight of whom to cast all our cares upon and try to fight this battle with our own strength.

In the book of Judges, we find another battle similar to our own. Like any good war movie, I’m going to start by showing you the battle field. You may have heard of Gideon, a warrior-ruler who remained faithful to God during one of Israel’s many rebellions. Gideon’s army was whittled down to 300 valiant men who showed courage and determination. They trusted and obeyed God. The Israelite army began as 32,000 soldiers but the Lord said to Gideon in

Judges 7:2 “the people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, My own hand has saved me.”

What started off as 32,000 soldiers got down to only 300 at the battle with the Midianites. God gave Gideon’s army a series of tests. First, he had Gideon send home the soldiers who were afraid and didn’t trust God. 32,000 total soldiers – 22,000 soldiers who were afraid and didn’t trust God equals 10,000 soldiers left. Then, he had Gideon send home the soldiers who were not vigilant when getting a drink of water. They were thinking of themselves and took a long drink of water without looking up. So, 10,000 soldiers – 9,700 soldiers who were not vigilant equals 300 unafraid, vigilant, selfless soldiers whom God could use for the battle against the Midianites.

          On the other hand, the Bible says that the Midianites and Amalekites were as numerous as locusts and that their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore (Judges 7:12). Their armies were massive and probably well equipped with weapons of their day. Mathematically, armies that are numerous as locusts don’t usually get the less than symbol up against an army with 300 soldiers carrying torch, a clay pitcher, and a trumpet. God is not limited by our equations. The Lord was with Gideon and the Israelite soldier and fulfilled His promise to be with this mighty man of valor. Ellen White said in Patriarchs and Prophets that “success does not depend upon numbers. God can deliver by few as well as by many. He is honored not so much by the great numbers as by the character of those who serve Him (PP 550).

 Gideon could have been afraid of the quantity and strength of the Midianites and God knew how to help him in his fear. God told Gideon to walk into the enemy’s camp where he would overhear a Midianite saying something that would help him to not be afraid. Gideon heard a Midianite soldier tell another soldier that he dreamt that a loaf of barley bread tumbled into their camp and it overturned and the tent collapsed. Gideon knew this was a sign that God would help his small army win against a large army. He trusted God and obeyed his commands even though by his human eye the outlook didn’t appear promising for the Israelite army. It was not by might or by power that the Midianites were defeated but by the spirit of the Lord.

There were more ways that God helped Gideon to build his trust and courage if we look to the book of Judges. The book of Judges describes what happened after the Israelites enter the promised land. The Lord brought them out of Egypt and they were still disobedient and idolatrous people. They did not resist the devil. The Bible describes the Israelites during Gideon’s rule as forsaking the Lord God of their fathers, doing evil in the sight of the Lord and worshipping idols.

Judges 21:25 says “everyone did what was right in his own eyes”.

Maybe you’ve heard this familiar quote before “sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.” This seems to describe the Israelites constant posture of oppression due to their sin and rebellion. They frequently forgot what the Lord had done and would fall back into their old ways of apostasy and idolatry.

So, God let Israel’s enemies, the Midianites oppress them and he allowed them to destroy their sustenance. The Bible says that Israel was “greatly impoverished”. After seven years of trouble with the Midianites and Amalekites, the Israelites finally pray to God asking for help while hiding in their dens, caves and mountains.

God found Gideon threshing wheat in the winepress and told him of the plan to help the Israelites. Gideon wanted to be sure that God would help him. He was humble, not proud, and knew that he could not defeat the Midianites in his own power. There were a few ways that the Lord strengthened Gideon’s trust in Him even before the gathering of the army.

God told Gideon to take down the idol Baal. The idol needed to be gone before God could help His people. God needed His people to know who was really helping them out of their desolation. During the night Gideon obeyed God and destroyed the idol. How can the Lord help us when we have other God’s before Him whom we’ve put our trust in?

Maybe like me, you’ve trusted in your own abilities. When Junie needed my help, my nursing knowledge seemed to go out the window. I trusted in doctors, nurses, my own intelligence to pull Junie and I through a difficult time and none of these calmed my anxieties. God helped me to see that I’ve been putting my trust in way too many people other than Him. Others may trust in their bank account to get them through future troubles or a turbulent economy. Maybe you trust in what you’ve accumulated in treasure. There are many more examples that I could come up with of the things you and I put our trust in but surely if we have not gone to God first, then our idols, like Baal are still standing. Wouldn’t we rather have a warrior-ruler like Jesus leading us instead of our idols?

God also performed a miracle for Gideon in order to strengthen his trust and calm his fears. One night God answered Gideon’s request by making a fleece wet when the ground was dry. On another night the fleece was dry when the ground was wet. And most likely Gideon remembered and recalled these events as he faced the battle with the Midianites.

God has brought us through trials and defeated our enemies before and He can dissipate our fears when we remember what He has done for us. We have seen miracles time and time again. Ellen White says that we have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history (CET 204.1) We have to remember and recall the battles that we have fought and that the Lord helped us to win. Let us write them down and put them in a place that we will always remember to never forget the Lord’s victories in our lives.

In order to overcome our fears, we must also hide scripture in our hearts and memorize God’s promises. When our fears come too close for comfort we need to claim the scriptures and pray away the negativity and sways of the devil.

Back when I was in my early days of nursing on an orthopedic and neuro hospital unit and fresh out of nursing school, I was very scared. I wrote down the prayer of Jabez on a notecard and carried it in my pocket whenever I was working my shift.

1 Chronicles 4:10 “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain”

There were many times when that Bible verse gave me courage and reminded me that God was with me helping me to care for my patients.

I would also sing a lullaby song on my way to work, inspired by Scripture from

Philippians 4:6 “Don’t you worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for what He has done. And the peace of God far beyond what we can understand will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.”

Last, but not least in shielding us from our worries and fears while we’re in a battle is to put on the Armor of God.

Ephesians 6:14-20 says “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saint.”

The following are more Scriptures to pray over and memorize if you are like me and struggle with fear and trust.

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Psalm 23:4 “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Hebrews 13:6 “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.”

Proverbs 3:25-26 “Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot rom being caught.”

Psalm 91:5-6 “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.”

Psalm 56:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

Juniper is growing, developing and eating just fine at 10 months old. She has over ten safe foods that she can eat and I know that list will continue to grow, slowly but surely. Day by day, one food at a time, God has helped build my confidence that she will be okay and we pray that she grows out of some of these allergies one day.

I recently came across an Instagram post by the Adventist Church that said 7 Reasons Why We Needn’t Fear and here they are: 1) Jehovah Jireh is our provider when we have nothing. 2) Jehovah Shalom is our source of peace when life is overwhelming. 3) Jehovah Rapha is our healer when we are sick. 4) El Shaddai is all-powerful when we are weak. 5) El Olam is everlasting and unchanging when seasons of life change. 6) Immanuel is with us when we feel alone. And 7) Jehovah Nissi is our banner of hope when the world is dark.

God is the one to run to with all of our fears! He is the only one who can help us in our times of trouble. Our fears can paralyze us and cause us to turn from the Lord or turn against each other. Life can change in an instant. We can be rowing merrily along when the sea billows roll and we are overcome with worry. When we are faced with fear, let us remember to trust and obey God. Remember His victories and miracles of the past. Hide His words as treasures in our hearts. And may we shield ourselves with the armor of God, so that we can overcome any storm that lies ahead.

I AM by Jill Phillips

VERSE 1

Oh gently lay your head, upon my chest

And I will comfort you like a mother, while you rest

The tide can change so fast, but I will stay

The same through past, the same in future, same today

CHORUS

I am constant, I am near

I am peace that shatters all your secret fears

I am holy, I am wise

I’m the only one who knows your hearts desires, your hearts desires

VERSE 2

Oh weary, tired and worn, let out your sighs

And drop that heavy load you hold cause mine is light

I know you through and through, there’s no need to hide

I want to show you love that is deep and high and wide

CHORUS

Oh gently lay your head, upon my chest

And I will comfort you like a mother while you rest

Children’s Story

Does anyone know what a scaredy cat is? A scaredy cat is a very timid or worried person. Almost everything makes them scared or run for cover. We sometimes call other people or ourselves scaredy cats to describe just how often they are frightened by things like the dark or climbing up really high or may they are afraid to try something new.

Cats are actually very scared at times. When I was a little girl, our cat Cindy escaped our house and climbed a tree in our yard. An uncle to was visiting our house that day decided to climb the tree to help her down and if I remember correctly, he got some pretty nasty scratches on his face.

There are some pretty funny videos of cats on the Internet who are scared of cucumbers. Their owners will place a cucumber in the room and video the cats reaction. It’s very funny to watch these cats discover the cucumber and then jump with fright. Silly cats!

Mr. Nathan tried to catch some cute kittens for me one time. The kittens had run underneath our car and I asked him to catch them in hopes that we might keep one as a pet. But as he tried to get them out from under the car, they were so scared that they started to bite and scratch his arms.

Cats love to climb trees but then they get scared and can’t figure out how to come down from the tree! The cats claws are shaped like hooks and they will climb trees for fun or to escape danger. The only safe way for them to get down is to go backward which they are not usually willing to do.

We lived on top of a mountain one time and heard a kitten in the woods near our house. We followed it’s sweet meow and discovered the kitten in a tree. We tried so hard to call it down from that tree and nothing that we did helped the kitten. Our wise neighbor brought out a can of tuna fist and opened it and that cat came down backward very quickly.

Sometimes we can be scaredy cats. Everything frightens us – the dark, a storm or maybe someone who isn’t very nice to you. David wrote in Psalm 56:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You”. David had a lot of times that he could have been afraid but he put his trust in God and obeyed his commands. Just remember, whenever you are afraid that you can pray to God and ask for help and He will be faithful to you!