Today,
March 25, 2020, our nation enters another day dealing with the COVID-19
pandemic that is changing our lives, disrupting our homes, businesses and social
interaction with those we know and love. It is creating many problems that may
seem insurmountable and leaving so many of our friends, neighbors, and perhaps
many of us, bound and shackled with overwhelming fear... fear of the unknown and fear of what lies
ahead....So what can and should we do about dealing with our fears?
I
am sure the great apostle Paul was no novice when it came to fear. Just a quick
overview of his life and it is easy to see the times, places and circumstances
that could have paralyzed Paul with fear; rendering him ill-equipped and
useless for service to our Lord. But Paul had learned a simple truth...WHEN GOD
IS FOR YOU, WHO CAN STAND AGAINST YOU! It was the same mindset that he sought to
pass on his son-in-the-faith, a young pastor named Timothy.
In
2 Timothy 1:3-7, Paul reminds Timothy that even though trials and tribulations will
come his way as he continues to follow and to preach Christ, he encourages him
with the following....
" I thank God, whom I serve with a clear
conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my
prayers night and day. Remembering your tears, I long
to see you so that I may be filled with joy, clearly recalling your
sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your
mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is in you also.
Therefore, I
remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the
laying on of my hands. For God has
not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of
power, love, and sound judgment."(Holman Christian Standard
Bible)
Paul
is reminding young Timothy not to be shackled with FEAR but rather to fan the
flame of God's Holy Spirit that has been placed inside of him. In so doing, he
will demonstrate the power of the mighty God he serves; he will be a beacon of
love in a dark and desperate world and more than these things, he will be seen
by others as one filled with the wisdom, passion and sound judgment that comes
from a man filled with faith. Paul is
calling his young protégé to demonstrate
the power of God that is living in him so that he will make calm and rational
decisions...let's be clear, IT IS HARD
TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS WHEN YOUR VISION IS CLOUDED BY FEAR!!!!
And
maybe that is where many of us have begun our day...unsettled and fearful of
what is going to happen because of this pandemic. We have put on our spectacles
of fear and cannot see that in all of the noise and rubble of this world-wide epidemic,
GOD HAS NOT LEFT HIS THRONE!!!
He
is still the Creator and Ruler of this universe and NOTHING can come against us
as believers that has not first passed through His hands....and yet, our human
nature tells us to be fearful!
One
thing I have learned in the trials that have come my way in years past; that
often, when fear gripped my soul and left me motionless, I had to step out in
faith, act and obey God in order to move forward ...and then allow my feelings
to catch up with this simple truth...
GOD
WAS IN CONTROL AND ALL WOULD BE WELL!!!
Maybe
today, God is waiting on you to shake off the shackles of fear that have bound
you to inaction and has you hunkered down waiting for this storm to pass...but
don't stay put and inactive because of fear...such action does not come from
the spirit that He has placed inside each of us as His followers. Truly,
sometimes God calls us to wait on Him before stepping out to meet a need or
lend a helping hand; however, often He is waiting on us to make the choice to
trust Him and take action and in so doing, see His mighty hand at work.
Could
it be that today is such a day? Do you have someone that is so fearful that
they will not leave their home and is running out of food or other
necessities? Is there an elderly friend
that is alone and feeling hopeless that just needs to hear a kind, soothing
voice of comfort and assurance that all will be well? I know we are to shelter
in place and that is good advice; but, maybe there is something you can do or
someone you can touch from the comforts of your home...maybe you even need to
act in faith and step out to make sure the neighbor next door or down the
street has all their meds and plenty to eat?
Whatever
it is that God may have laid upon your heart to do, follow the advice that Paul
gave young Timothy as he encouraged him to shake off the shackles of fear and
live in
POWER...LOVE...and a SOUND MIND!!!!
Living in the
Spirit ...Trusting in his POWER,
WPQ
Poem for the day.....
In these dark and troubled times,
We can often lose our way.
Wondering what our fate may hold
Should we live another day?
Is the world coming to an end:
Is this a time for shedding
tears?
How can we move forward
When we are paralyzed by fear?
Can we trust our government
And the leaders that now rule?
Do we follow blindly and
Are left looking like a fool?
But this one thing we are
assured....
Our Father is on HIS throne;
And we need not fear the outcomes
For we are NOT alone....
For the Spirit of God is in us
And this truth we can hold dear;
Through His power, love and sound
judgment
We shake off the shackles of our
FEARS!
WPQ ©March 2020
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