Day 13/ March 3 Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
We falsely make fearlessness an admirable quality when, in fact, we should be teaching and reteaching ourselves to face every fear, not become immune to them.
Fear is the bright, flashing, unavoidable sign in front of us. How we adults have figured out how to avoid it or not see it is truly incredible because the sign—the information—actually holds what we do not need to hold. That’s right. Every message of fear that we receive can and should be turned right over to God.
Remember the home improvement project you botched? The one where you said out loud, “Yep, should have hired a pro.” Fear is the same way. Do not handle this yourself. You can’t. The Pro, however, can. Give it to Him.
Then it comes a trust issue. Do you TRUST God enough to take care of your fear?
Now this is a question you can ask yourself every day because every day—honestly—this is a good question. Another really good question to ask if what, exactly, am I afraid of—death, loss, health, wealth, control, connections, facing life without my addiction, or something else entirely?
TRY IT: Start by saying, “God, this is what I’m afraid of.” Then actually share what, exactly, brings you fear. Next, give that fear to God.
PRAYER: Daniel was a steadfast prayer warrior, Lord. In fact, it was because he prayed to You so faithfully that he was trapped by jealous peers and, in a plan to implement his death, he tossed into a den with lions. Was he fearful of a night with lions? Yes. Did he name is fears? Yes. Did he hand them over to You? Yes. May we do the same. Amen.
Day 14/March 4 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
In Dostoevsky’s novel THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, Ivan Karamazov refers to “the miracle of restraint.” Ivan calls this God’s choice to curb His own power. God curbing his own power? As Sunday school children, most (all?) of us are taught of God’s limitless, all-present power as young students. After all, Jesus calms the sea. The death-to-life healing encounters in the synoptic gospels are one thing, but instantly flattening tumultuous waves is quite another.
To imagine Jesus holding back his power enables us realize exactly what happened on that cross on that day. Certainly, he had the power to remove himself from that pain, from that slow, horrific death. He chose not to do so. The same power to command our hearts to obedient love is also his, but again, he chooses not to do so. Instead, Jesus shows the miracle of restraint, of not corralling or controlling love.
Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13 now make more sense. Love is patient, kind, and does not insist on its own way. In this same passage, Paul writes that love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
When we love—when we genuinely, truly, altruistically love—coercion of any kind does not exist. And this love? This love which we call “our” love? This is really a reflection of God’s love. He did—and does—love us first. From this love, we love.
TRY IT: If you love someone, set them free. If they come back again, then in the end, it was meant to be. [These are lyrics from Mark Radice (Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC) in his song titled SOME GOOD THINGS NEVER LAST.]
PRAYER: Lord, help us understand—and practice—that your love in us and your love for us does last not when we control it, but let it be. Amen.