Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. [Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)]
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” [Mark 6:50 (NLT)]
Recently, our pastor asked us to write down both a prayer concern and a joy that anonymously could be shared with the congregation. Once compiled on a sheet of paper, the list was made available to anyone who wanted to offer those worries, needs and joys to God in prayer. As expected, most of the joys had to do with family, friends, health, and God’s love and forgiveness. Most of the concerns also were what we’d expect: health and the health of loved ones, finances, government, family turmoil, and children. At our Florida church, we start our weekly Bible study with prayer requests and praise reports and the list from our northern church was remarkably similar with one glaring exception. One person wrote, “I’m always afraid.”
Those words have haunted me all week—“I’m always afraid!” This person brought his or her concern to the right place—God and the church family but what now? Always afraid doesn’t mean a few quirks like fearing thunder, spiders, or mice. Always is a continual state of fear and, out of concern, I wanted to know more. Is the fear pathological? Does this person have irrational fears that make him or her paranoid? Is psychological counseling what is needed? On the other hand, is there a basis for the fear? Is it fear that a secret, like addiction or adultery, will be discovered? More likely, could there be violence or abuse in the home? You don’t have to live in Afghanistan, Syria or Nigeria to live in a war zone. My first response upon reading those words was wanting to fix the problem; yet, I am powerless to do so. I don’t even know what the actual problem is let alone who is involved. Moreover, it is not mine to fix nor am I qualified to do so. Nevertheless, my heart cries for anyone who lives life in fear.
While I can’t offer a solution, I can pray with compassion for this fear filled person. I can pray for God’s gifts of courage and perseverance—courage to relinquish the fear and perseverance to continue through the difficulties and setbacks that are sure to arise. Whether that means reaching out to our Pastor, seeking counseling, finding a shelter, or making some other change, I don’t know but, without courage, perseverance and trust in God, the fear will remain.
Heavenly Father, throughout Scripture, you’ve commanded us not be afraid and yet some of your children live in fear. Knowing that your grace is sufficient and your power is made perfect in weakness, we lift their needs to you. May they come to trust your guidance; fill them with courage and perseverance as they find refuge and strength in your loving presence.
I have a friend who worries. Her husband says that even when she has nothing about which to worry, she worries about whatever next could go wrong long before it possibly can. He added that having a “designated worrier” has made his life much easier—while she worries, he can relax and enjoy himself! His comment made me remember a trip we took to the Cayman Islands nearly forty years ago. We were accompanied by a worrying friend.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! [Romans 11:33 (ESV)]
They were sailing in the Sea of Galilee, a body of water notorious for sudden violent storms. At least four of the disciples were fishermen; did none of them question Jesus about the possibility of squalls or rough waters? Jesus, being God and omniscient, surely knew a storm was brewing and yet He told the men to take the boat across the sea. As the squall came rolling in, the disciples fought the waves. While they frantically reefed the sails and bailed water, Jesus calmly slept on a cushion in the boat’s stern. To the terrified disciples it seemed as if He didn’t care that they were going to drown.
Hoping to get a good cardio workout, I’d ramped up the resistance and programmed the machine for a variety of hills, some of which were real killers. Whenever I glanced down at the screen, I groaned at what lay ahead of me. No matter where I was in the program, I was already looking ahead and dreading the next big challenge. Every time I looked at the timer, I lamented the length of time remaining for this self-inflicted torture. After placing my towel over the screen, the workout seemed easier. No longer able to see the hills or time remaining, I stopped dreading the next challenge and the ones after that. I just pumped away, secure in the knowledge that, eventually, my workout would be over.
It’s that time of year again. Signs in stores say it, holiday lights in yards and on rooftops proclaim it, and we might greet one another in church with it. We send out cards with its message, sing of it and, yet, we’re bereft of it. We think we’ll have it when our chores are done, the cards mailed, the house cleaned, the tree decorated, the lights up, the cookies baked, the gifts purchased, the packages wrapped, and the bills paid. We sure we’ll get it if we reach our destination without delay or losing luggage or once our children arrive safely home. As long as everyone stays healthy, no food gets burnt, nothing is broken, politics isn’t discussed, no one gets drunk, and the back-ordered gift arrives in time, we’re sure to have it then. Yet, even when everything goes as planned (and believe me it won’t), it seems to escape us.
Devotions of the Heart 