In the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. –Romans 4:17, ESV
How would you behave if you knew everything was going to be okay?
The question resounded through my heart in the middle of everything: grief after losing loved ones, financial stress, moving to a new job, and continuing school. The questions continued.
How would you feel in your body if you trusted Me?
I noticed the tension in my shoulders. They were held high, like I was trying to keep my ears warm. I felt the ache in my neck and temples. My face gave away the state of my mind: high alert.
More relaxed than this, I answered.
In solution-focused grief therapy, therapists often ask something called “the miracle question.” This question asks patients to envision what their life would be like if their problem disappeared suddenly. It goes something like this:
“Imagine your alarm clock goes off and when you wake up, a miracle happened and all your problems have disappeared. How would you realize that the problem that brought you to therapy doesn’t exist anymore?
The miracle question can be the starting point of identifying and developing goals. It grants permission to think about possibilities for change. It moves the focus away from the problems of right now toward what could be—and perhaps sparks an idea about what to do to get there.
That’s the wonder of the miracle question, and God was using it on me. I’m in grad school to become a counselor. I recognized His technique—and marveled. He struck me at the heart.
What does trust feel like?
I let my shoulders relax to ease down to a resting place. I let my stomach release to receive a deep breath.
Trust feels like rest, I thought and took another deep breath. Trust feels like being here right now, not forward in my worries, not back in my “shoulds” or mistakes.
Trust is being in the presence of the God who calls into existence the things that do not exist—or not as far as I can see from my fearful human vantage point.
I felt God’s quiet invitation into the peace that passes all understanding, and the wisdom of His rhetorical questions.
What if everything I’ve called you toward, I’ve provided for?
Angela McPherson
Angela is a graduate student in marriage and family therapy. Her background of working with kids fuels her passion to become a play therapist. She strives to allow Christ to give her a childlike trust in Him. She graduated from ARISE in 2005.
