"For God gave
us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self- control." 2
Timothy 1:7 (ESV).
When the Bible tells us,
"Do not fear," it means we are not to allow anxiety or fretfulness to
rule our lives or take root in our hearts.
We are not to be a people of panic. We are to be a people of faith. The
Bible teaches us that fear is from the enemy, not from God. God wants us to
trust Him and not be afraid of worldly things. The Bible contains many verses
that tell us to rely on God's presence and power. We can find many of them in
verses such as Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 23:4, and Phillipians 4:6-7, just to name a
few. While it is not true that the term "Do not fear" is in the Bible
365 times, it is mentioned at least 150 times, so it is very important to be
mentioned that many times.
Travelling back and forth to
take care of my ailing mom in Georgia has lent more insight to this. Last week,
I took her to tour an assisted living facility in the Atlanta area in which she
may end up staying. You could tell she was nervous and afraid. She has lived in
the house I grew up in for 48 years. She is now being asked to surrender her
familiar surroundings and start a new chapter in her life. None of us like
being taken out of our "comfort zone," especially after almost a
half- century. All the memories are in that house, for her and for me. As we
drove over for the tour I told her it would be okay. She looked at me and told
me "I just have to trust God." I marvelled at her ability to simply
"hand" it up to God as part of His will "He's in charge,"
she reminded me. I have to admit that I was ashamed that my faith would
probably not be that strong in that circumstance. I told her that and she
reminded me that all that you need is the "faith of a mustard seed."
Jesus tells us about that faith
in Matthew 13:32. "'Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it
grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds
come and perch on them (NIV)." Meaning? While our faith at times may seem
small, especially compared to others, that small faith may be where others can
come and stand on it as well. In some translations Jesus tells us that that
small faith can literally move mountains. Not only can it sustain us but it can
inspire others as well. My Mom's faith is such an inspiration to me. Of course
she is still nervous about the future. She naturally is afraid of the medical
issues that she is dealing with. My sister and I are as well. But the faith
that God is on the throne (!) and that He has a plan sustains us through these
trials and tribulations.
I am not going to lie and tell
you this is easy. We are not promised an easy life as believers. If we were,
everybody would be a believer. But we are promised that we have a God who will
be with us even (especially) during the times we feel like we are alone. All
that we have to do is trust in Him and have "faith the size of a mustard
seed" and He will see us through.
To God be the glory!
Amen!
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