faith > fear

There are days where we have the weight of the world on our shoulders.

Nothing is going right, and everyone is counting on us.

Where we wonder how the bills will be paid, how we’ll be able to make dinner after the long day we’ve had, what will we say to our kids about this, that, and the other. Days where our marriages feel more like a warzone than a unity made in love. Days where we wonder where God is, because we’ve been told He is always with us, but we’ve never felt more alone.

The truth is this, Church: Right now, we are, each of us, living in a world we can’t control. We are all confused. We all have concerns. We are tired.

But I have the privilege and the honor of reminding you who sits on the throne, and who is in control.

Look with me at Isaiah 43:1

“But now this is what the Lord says, He who created, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’”

When we think about those who are historically fearful, I’d say Jacob would be at the top. Fearful that he was going to miss out on what was rightfully his, fearful he wasn’t going to get what he deserved, he lied and cheated to get his brother, Esau’s, birthright. He was manipulative and cunning, and yet, Church, here we are looking at this promise from God.

Jacob would go on to become the father of Israel, and God would say, “I have rescued you from bondage and your past and your future, I have called you out specifically to be mine, and you ARE mine.” God offers us that same promise, every single day.

Life is messy, y’all.

None of us make it out alive.

We all have tough days where we don’t know what will happen to us next. But God doesn’t say here that He’s created you to live in fear. He hasn’t redeemed you from everything BUT fear. He hasn’t called you to belong to Him and Fear -- no, Believer, you are God’s. You. Are. God’s. God alone. You are not a slave to fear. You are not a slave to the aches and pains of this world.

Let’s look at another verse in Isaiah:

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” -41:10

If we belong to God, it makes sense that He would strengthen us and help us and uphold us. I see this verse and I feel my spirit whispering that “God doesn’t give us what we can handle, God helps us handle what we’re given.”

That old saying that “God wouldn’t give you more than you can handle” is such malarkey. It really is. God gives us more than we can handle all the time, but He’s right there with us helping us live through it. Sometimes, the only way God can show us He’s in control is by putting us in situations we can’t control. And that can be scary. But we are never alone, and fear never stands a chance when it’s put against our God.

2 Timothy echoes this idea by saying that God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear, fear isn’t of God, but rather He gives us a spirit of power, of love, and of sound mind.

Fear is a valid emotion, but it’s not of God. Worry and anxiousness are valid too, but still not of God. The only way to drown out these feelings of anxiety is to bathe them in the spirit of the Lord. Wash our souls in the reminder that we are His, that He is in control, that He has given us power and love and sound minds. That He has given us the capabilities to discern the right decisions for our families and loved ones. That he is all-mighty. God is bigger than the coronavirus. He’s bigger than your addictions. He’s bigger than your doubt. He’s bigger than your fear. He’s bigger than anything else we have going on in our lives right now -- and He is present. He hears our prayers. He’s reminding us today that we sit in his right Hand.

We have a tendency to experience fear and uncertainty and we draw inward, instead of outward. We go deep inside ourselves, we isolate our heart, and we try to self-preserve instead of remember who we have been called to be. God is with us. He is working even when we can’t feel it. He is moving. He is consistent. He is upholding us. He does not call you to live in panic. He calls you to use prayer as a bridge from panic to peace.

Today, I want to encourage you not to turn inward. Don’t let your brains and hearts be troubled with worry and anxiousness and fear. Remember who is in control. Remember who you belong to. Remember what you’ve been given.

And remember that Christians from the beginning of our faith have experienced periods of travelling through the desert, and the wilderness. Periods of fear. Periods of trepidation. Periods of confusion. Periods of feeling lost.

This time of fear is an opportunity to remember the truth about what it means to be Believers. God imbues you with power, love, and a sound mind. God calls you by name. You are allowed to be afraid, but brothers and sisters, don’t you dare let that fear distract from who you are. God is holding you, God is with you, He has no time for your dismay -- He’s strengthening you. Live in that truth over anything else.

Don’t forget why we’re here. We’re not here to look like a panicking world, we’re here to speak the promises of a perfect God. God is present. His presence makes all the difference.