WATCHWORD:
“So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
Meditation:
What Are You Afraid Of?
The 11-year-old girl stands at the service line of her school volleyball game. It is the first time she has been called upon to serve. The score is tied and her team is counting on her. She is nervous, she is fearful. She never expected the coach to put her into this important game, and now, here she is about to serve. All she can think about is getting the ball over the net.
Her parents, in the crowd of cheering parents and fellow students, are thinking the same thing, “please let her get the ball over the net”! Her hand is shaking and breathing is not easy. She starts to serve, strikes the ball, and it sails…
Fear. Fear hits us all, maybe differently in you or in me, but, nevertheless it’s part of our lives, it’s part of how we function in this complicated and difficult time of life.
What are you afraid of?
The disciples, crowded into that boat on the sea of Galilee, and in the midst of a storm, cried out in fear for their lives. They saw no way to be rescued. The storm was too fierce, the waves too high, the wind threatened to capsize the boat. Then, there was Jesus, coming to them in the midst of their storm, and speaking to them in their fear, “Take heart, it is I, have no fear”. And the storm calmed, and the wind died to a gentle breeze, and they were saved.
What were those disciples afraid of? Their fear and anxiety was real. Yet, here was this man, Jesus, who had just fed the 5,000, who healed the sick and restored sight to the blind. Jesus came, and their fears and anxieties were gone.
As a psychologist, long removed from my studies, I’m still left with the conviction that an element of fear is with us, most likely, every day, in one form or another. The scriptures are all filled with reassurances. And yet, too often we read them as if we are reading a Hallmark greeting, rather than hearing God speak directly to us, and, then, actively following him. That is not an easy task. But, it does raise still another question: Do you believe what God reassures us through the Scriptures? Is that His voice?
My heart goes out to that 11-year-old girl, standing at the service line, about to serve for the first time in a volleyball game. Her anxiety is real and, in all likelihood, will be dispelled or compounded in a matter of seconds, there on the court.
I have been that 11-year-old-boy, new kid in school, standing before a class filled with new classmates, so fearful as to be unable to speak or even read the Current Event in my hand, only to have the teacher ridicule me as I stood there! It was years before Jesus came, in the midst of my storm, and dispelled that fear.
As an adult, a new fear, lung cancer, and Jesus came in the midst of that storm and reassured me with treatments and surgery that helps dispelled most of my fear. Each year He reassures me, and calms my fear with good tests and Xrays.
In John 14:27 we read: “My Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” That is Jesus speaking. Jesus had no fortune to leave his followers, what he was giving them, giving us, was far greater. “My Peace” is an untroubled heart, without fear. It is this kind of peace that we all need to prayerfully strive for, especially with a diagnosis that knocks our props out from under us.
In Matthew 6:34, Jesus tells us: “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Do you worry? If you must worry, worry about those things that are before you today, things that we may have some control over. Jesus reminds us of the importance of living for the present day. Too often, the joy of the day is tainted by our regrets of yesterday, or our worry about what the next day may bring.
Too often, when we are fearful, we feel we are alone. But, the Word of God is both a command and a promise. The promise is that we are not alone. We are to wholly lean on Jesus’ name and know that He is with us.
Through it all, we are imperfect. We are humans, and as such we worry, we let our hearts be troubled, we fear. The truth is that we are not very good at not worrying. Our sense of fear puts us on the defensive or we become angry. Anger leads to guilt. Guilt leads to alienation. Alienation prevents peace. But, the good news is that God knows all of that, and he loves us, and he hears us when we pile all of those fears and anxieties on him. When we do that, He stills our storms. It is important that we believe.
Bulletin Board:
A dear friend is faced with a diagnosis that is simply bad news. We sometimes think our prayers are inadequate for the task, but we would be wrong. God is God, He’s in charge of our lives. He listens. Whatever happens to us is part of His plan for our lives. Trust, rest on that, and find the peace that passes our understanding.
A note from Carol — Don’t let the snake bites (cruel words and fears) of today ruin your tomorrow.
Closing Prayer:
(In prayerful thought, read Psalm 91, filled with God’s promises and reassurances.)
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. 9 If you make the Lord your refuge if you make the Most High your shelter,10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. 11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” Amen.
