Hi everyone. Rob here.
One of the most radical things that God tells his people in Scripture is this:
Fear not.
There are other variants. Do not be afraid, do not worry, do not be frightened. We live in a frightened and anxious world. Coronavirus, fundamentalism of all kinds, economic fragility, natural disasters, disastrous politicians and more leave us a lot to be fearful about. Fear is logical, but it is also folly.
Fear takes us away from the source of peace and the source of all comfort. Fear is the opposite of faith and faith is what we need right now. God is good and God cares for his people. The world is broken but we follow Jesus who said,
Take heart. I have overcome the world.
Fear is a posture of the heart and you can do something about your posture. The reality is that life is incredibly fragile; too fragile for us to hold onto ourselves. We need to give our lives over to the One who can hold them with the utmost tenderness, plant our roots deep and grow us into people who reflect the beautiful life of God.
If faith is the invitation then we need to question all of our fearful responses. We don’t replace fearfulness with carelessness. We replace it with faithfulness. What does being faithful to God and his kingdom look like in a fearful age? It looks like love. That may mean…
- Sharing your food instead of hoarding it
- Nursing a sick friend instead of avoiding them
- Embracing hospitality
- Listening to people you disagree with
- Praying for all
- Doing the most loving thing instead of the most convenient thing
Choosing fear is easy but it makes life all about you. Faith is harder but it puts us into the arms of the God who loves us so much. What would you rather have?
Grace and peace everyone.
