"who are you that you are afraid of a man who dies...and have forgotten the Lord..." -Isaiah 31:12ff
To live in fear is a betrayal of what we believe about God.
I hate verses like this because they leave us so little room for me to excuse myself. There are a thousand things that I’m afraid of. I’m afraid I’ll never escape the failures of my past. I’m afraid I am not the leader my family needs. I’m afraid God is disappointed with what I’ve done with the gifts he gave me. I’m afraid of poverty. I’m afraid of illness. I’m afraid of death.
But when I read verses like this one I realize that true faith leaves no room for my fear. I believe in a God who is all powerful and all good. I believe in a God whose promises can be trusted. I believe in a God who sees me as his beloved child. I believe in a God who saved me and is saving me still today. I believe in a God whose love for me is so much stronger than my faults and my failures.
But my belief that all those things are true leaves no room for my fear.
To entertain and focus on my fears is a rejection of everything I believe to be true about God. Being intentionally aware of God’s presence is the solution to my fear problem. Aware of his presence, the fears that once seemed so large and unmanageable become minor bumps on the path God is leading me on. In fact, I begin to see how even the worst of my anxieties and fears are tools by which God is creating in me greater and greater holiness and glory.
In the end, I realize that I do not have a fear problem, I have a faith problem.
To live in fear is a betrayal of what we believe about God.
I hate verses like this because they leave us so little room for me to excuse myself. There are a thousand things that I’m afraid of. I’m afraid I’ll never escape the failures of my past. I’m afraid I am not the leader my family needs. I’m afraid God is disappointed with what I’ve done with the gifts he gave me. I’m afraid of poverty. I’m afraid of illness. I’m afraid of death.
But when I read verses like this one I realize that true faith leaves no room for my fear. I believe in a God who is all powerful and all good. I believe in a God whose promises can be trusted. I believe in a God who sees me as his beloved child. I believe in a God who saved me and is saving me still today. I believe in a God whose love for me is so much stronger than my faults and my failures.
But my belief that all those things are true leaves no room for my fear.
To entertain and focus on my fears is a rejection of everything I believe to be true about God. Being intentionally aware of God’s presence is the solution to my fear problem. Aware of his presence, the fears that once seemed so large and unmanageable become minor bumps on the path God is leading me on. In fact, I begin to see how even the worst of my anxieties and fears are tools by which God is creating in me greater and greater holiness and glory.
In the end, I realize that I do not have a fear problem, I have a faith problem.
Be Present with God
Make some time to be present with God. Confess to his the times that you have allowed your fear to be stronger than your faith. Be honest with him about the times you have allowed your fear to overshadow what you know to be true about him. Ask him to make his presence and his power over your fears blindingly obvious. Ask him to give you the peace and clarity to be able to live fearlessly in his presence. Thank him for the way he has made you aware of his presence in this time.
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