Fear

December 7

Read Psalm 27:1

Pray: Almighty God— you are the light of my salvation, whom shall I fear? But God, I am afraid. Of plenty of things. Help me see you. Amen.

Hear:

At least once a month, I wake up in a cold sweat having had a nightmare about heights. Different mountains, skyscrapers, airplanes, or I will just be in the air.

I am terrified of heights.

Is it logical? No. Is it real? Yes.

Fear is a normal part of the human experience and is a common theme in the Bible. There is a lot of talk about the fear of the Lord, angels telling people not to be afraid, and our passage today of David talking about how there is nothing to fear because we belong to the Lord.

Fear is such an interesting idea. Most of the time, fear isn’t a choice. It is something that is engrained within us, or at least it can feel that way. Fear exists for a reason—I like that my body will do everything it can to keep me from doing a gainer off of a 12-foot ladder. The problem with fear, and what I hope this passage can teach us today is this: fear cannot rule us.

My fear of heights determines what I get to do. Want to ride a rollercoaster? Let me hold your bag. I’d like to conquer this fear, but I also don’t mind it.

Our passage today deals with that sort of fear that limits us from the important work of the Gospel, like courage to grow and courage to take on obstacles between us and holiness. Well, to be fair, I think David was also talking about politicians he didn’t like (he was a king after all) but we can also hear it in a way that makes sense to us while also being True.

I fear being embarrassed. I am afraid of letting myself down. I fear becoming less than what I could be. Our passage speaks as clearly as it can: if God is for you, what do you have to fear? If God is with you, what could slow you down?

Respond:

How is fear holding me back?

Meditation:

If God is with me, who could be against me?