Fear Less


"O Lord, please rescue me from my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to kill me, along with my wives and children. But you promised to treat me kindly and to multiply my descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore ... Don't be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
Genesis 32:11-12, Matthew 10:28

As we waited for the doctors in the consultation room, Mandy and I talked nervously, prayed, and felt our hearts jump out of our chests when the door finally opened. The focus of this particular doctor conversation centered around our infant daughter, specifically, a heart defect that could only be corrected through surgery. It was a new and fierce fear for us to face. We chose to trust God and put her in his hands. Thankfully, he gave her back.

Jacob was afraid. His brother Esau had determined many years ago to kill him. Esau heard Jacob was returning and decided to go meet him. Jacob prayed. He had no other recourse. All he had to stand on was the promises that God had given him. He chose to trust God and leave his fate in his hands. Good choice. Jesus told his followers to fear God above all. People can only kill your body. They can't touch the life to come.

Fear will never leave us alone. There is no off switch. It can define us, hem us in, and leave us cowering in an unlocked prison cell. It is no respecter of persons and is absolutely insatiable. Jesus knew his body was going to be destroyed. He also knew that his Father could be trusted. He refused to allow the fears of this life to derail his obedience to his Father. What about us? Does our life declare, "Thy will be done."
Virus-free. www.avg.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wisdom

"God surely knows where it (wisdom) can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth, under all the heavens. He made the winds blow and determined how much rain should fall. He made the laws of the rain and prepared a path for the lightning. Then, when he had done all this, he saw wisdom and measured it. He established it and examined it thoroughly. And this is what he says to all humanity: 'The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding'"  Job 27:23-28 I had an "incident" with the one cup at a time coffee maker the other day. Apparently, the lid that screws on to the mini coffee filter holder is an important part of the process. Who knew? I thought I could make a stronger cup of coffee without it. All I ended up doing was making a real mess that I cleaned up with giggling coworkers nearby. I believe, however, I am now armed with a little more knowledge and wisdom.  Job was a righteous dude. He was wise and well-res...
Read more

Faith in Christ

" How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort." Galatians 3   As my daughter's team laced up their soccer cleats for the championship game, it wasn't looking good. More than couple of the players, including my daughter, were trying to battle through their injuries. They played an aggressive attacking style that allowed them to make it this far. When the game went to halftime, they were shockingly leading by a goal. Inexplicably, the coach made a decision to stop their attack and fall back into a defensive formation. The result was completely predictable - a heart breaking loss.   The Galatian believers that Paul was writing this letter to were at a crossroads. Paul had shared the wonderful news that Jesus died on the cross for their sins, was buried and was raised to life on the third day. All who believe in him will be made right with God. They received it with great joy....
Read more

Made Right

"But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight--not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done." Romans 3:21-22 "What do I need to do to make this right?" I cannot begin to tell you how many times that I've wished for a customer service representative to ask me this question. Accounting errors, incorrect fees, unannounced pricing changes, wrong orders and the like have resulted in much frustration over the years. How refreshing it would be in those moments to work with someone who wanted me to feel like the wrong was addressed in a satisfactory way. An equally frustrating experience occurs when I am in the wrong and am unable for whatever reason to make things right with someone. Regardless of what side of the coin we may be on, in...
Read more