Fear has a way of taking over when we do not know what will happen next. Human nature wants to be in control and with technological advances we are often deceived that we are. The curious thing is, most of us don’t realize it until something like a pandemic comes along. We are not really in control.
Faith is the key, but faith in what? People are… well… like us, imperfect and often unreliable. If we do not personally know the One who made us then fear, blame, anger, confusion, hopelessness just to name a few negative options, race to the surface. Those are always an option. Fortunately, there is another option.
We put faith in different things every day. Every time we sit in a chair we have faith it will hold us, but this is not about chairs. We need something or someone big enough and powerful enough to deal with our fear. Is there anything or anyone who is completely trustworthy?
When I write I call God by many names: Creator, Maker, The One, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Father any maybe my favorite…Abba. There are books that list and explain the names of God from the Bible. There are over 100 names for God in the Bible because each one gives a different understanding of the character and capabilities of God.
Arguably the most helpful quality now is: never changing. “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” James 1:17 NLT Even His shadow is stable…. Take some time to learn what the Bible says about our Creator. The links above can help you start. We need to know who we belong to.
We also need to know who we are, not by our own assessment but by God’s. Do you remember teasing someone over their name or nick name? Maybe you received that attention. Those daily declarations of who we are affect us, whether or not we notice it day to day. That’s why Names are sometimes changed in the Bible. Jacob means deceiver. God changed his name to Isreal: Wrestled with God. Guess who won. God changed Abram to Abraham; Sarai to Sarah; Saul to Paul; Cephas to Peter. These are only a few examples. The changes have to do with How God sees them.
There are many lists of How The Mighty One of Isreal sees each of us. Child of the living God is a favorite of mine today. John 1:12 He is a good Father and always Keeps watch over each of us. With relationship comes responsibility and privilege. There are a myriad of promises that apply to us as we abide in relationship with The Living God.
We are Chosen John 15:16; Co-heirs with Christ Romans 8:17; We set our minds on things above Col. 3:2; You make us a royal priesthood 1 Peter 2:9; We receive mercy in time of need 1 Peter 2:10; We will see God’s goodness here. Psalm 27:13; and we are more than conquerers Romans 8:37.
“For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control.” TPT 2 Timothy 1:7
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1 Peter 1:6-7
Abba, We worship You, the only Living God, in Spirit and in truth. In humility, and with great expectation, we lay our fear at you feet. Thank you for taking fear from us and in exchange giving us faith in who You are and who we are as Your children. Help us to learn more each day about Your unchanging character and our position as Your chosen. Thank you for giving us new mercies every morning. Amen
Amen
Bless you my brother!