why should I be afraid?

Today, we hear some good messages on fear. CLICK HERE for the OT reading for today, and CLICK HERE for the NT reading.

In the OT reading, we hear the children of Israel continuously complaining to Moses and Aaron about God not providing for their needs the way they want. They give in to their fears - that they will die of thirst, or that they will starve to death. They JUST SAW God deliver them from the Egyptians. They SEE, right in front of them, the presence of God in the cloud by day and fire by night, leading them to the promised land. And still, they fear. And their fear drives them to disobey God.

I watched a scary movie today. It's called Winchester, and it's about a woman who believes she's being visited by the ghosts of all the people who have been killed by Winchester rifles, which her family manufactures. There is a line in the movie that says that fear is all in the mind. And there is truth to this. As FDR told us, most of the time the only thing we have to fear is fear itself - which holds us back from pursuing the dreams that God calls us to.

If the children of Israel had had their way, they would have given up the march across the wilderness and gone back to slavery in Egypt. And that's the choice we face, too. Are we going to set aside our fears and boldly pursue the dreams God has given us, leading to our promised land? Or are we going to give in to our fears and turn tail, running back to the things that enslave us?

Fear is a real thing. We shouldn't pretend that it isn't, or berate ourselves for feeling afraid. It's a natural response to something new. And when we follow Jesus, we are going to encounter new things all the time. But courage is feeling fear... and doing it anyway.

Like we read in today's Psalm: They Lord is my light and my salvation. So why should I be afraid? Scary things will come along in our lives... but God is bigger than them all.

Thank You, God, for giving us courage to face our fears, and pursue the dreams You've placed in our hearts.