Excerpts from A Thousand Shall Fall, by Bodie and Brock Thoene...

"My father...loves me. I will not...be afraid...A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."

Have you ever felt like the whole world has turned against you? Have you felt hopeless? alone? afraid? abandoned?

When difficult times come, Lily pleads with God:

"You ain't brought us so far to break us to pieces. Don't matter what's out there or what ain't out there no more. I'm believin' you, Jesus. You see when one sparrow falls. You spin clothes for the lilies...I ain't gonna fear nothin'! Ain't gonna fear hunger! Ain't gonna fear bein' poor! Ain't gonna fear what men do to me! Ain't gonna fear bein' alone!"

Because of her faith, her friend realizes anew: "When there's nothing left to give the Lord, then you have to look at what you have. Your soul. Yourself. And that is the only gift he wants from His children...Maybe this is what the Lord wants from us. For us to look to Him. To trust Him like a Father."

Do you--can you--trust God like a Father? trust Him to provide for you in the midst of loneliness, fear, and prejudice? trust Him to plant you deep, like a tree, so that no "wind" can "bust" you?

When you are feeling scared and alone, why not follow the advice of the mother in the book?

"Don't put your trust in nothin' else. All else is shiftin' sand. Just read Psalm 91 when you are feelin' scared. It'll tell you all you need."

Life will always be complicated. If you seek diligently, you will find the One who holds all the answers to the universe (I Chronicles 28:9).

Psalm 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge--
then no harm will befall 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.
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."