After Pentecost Devotional - Day 12
"God
gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though
it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. He will surely do
even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?" Matthew
6:30
Faith
and fear walk hand in hand, even if they are most often at odds with
each other. Faith is about trust and confidence. It is about being
able to focus on what God truly desires for us, with the certainty
that our needs will be met in the process. Fear is rather the
opposite, by which we are more certain than not that our needs will
not be met. It is faith in reverse, and often as not mixes with our
faith, even while it undermines what faith offers.
Fear
and anxiety undermine where faith would take us. They keep us from
reaching the results that faith would produce in our lives. We allow
fear to shape our decisions. We allow our anxieties to direct our
steps. We allow worry to keep us from acting on faith, rather than
take a step back to see where faith would take us.
That
is not to say that we should march willy-nilly through life with no
planning or care in the world. What it does mean, however, is that
while we are unable to see how God will provide for our needs, there
are many avenues whereby God is able to direct and provide for us. As
we open ourselves to God's direction under faith's guidance, we are
open to another plethora of possibilities that fear and anxiety would
block from our view.
Anxiety,
fear, and worry limit our perspectives on the possibilities of the
future. They keep us from assessing all the options before us.
Instead of focusing on what is possible, they press us to look at
everything that could possibly go wrong, often envisioning very
improbable scenarios that do little more than keep us from acting.
They rob us of living and enjoying the process of life.
Faith,
on the other hand, would focus our attention on the positive
possibilities set before us. It leads us to assess both the present
and the future from a position of confidence. By so doing, faith
empowers us to act, even while understanding that not everything will
go according plan. Faith is an enabler, not only of action, but of
enjoyment. It allows us to savor life and the experiences set before
us.
This
is what Jesus proclaimed for us. He proclaimed the possibility of
trusting God to care for our needs, even as God cares for grass,
flowers, and weeds. Just as God showers the entire field with rain
and sunshine, Jesus reminds us that God is willing to care for the
needs of one and all without distinction.
Our
fears, anxieties, and worries about the future, however, are
generally focused on those things we don't trust God to provide for
us. They focus on our selfish impulses, our desires to avoid
conflict, and our dreams of living under an umbrella on a beach with
a cool drink in our hands. God and faith call us to a life of purpose
instead of an idyllic fantasy devoid of meaning.
Determine
to allow faith to take you to where God would lead you, far beyond
your fears.
"Lord,
help me to trust you into a life of meaning, allaying my fears to
live in confidence."
—©Copyright 2016, Christopher B. Harbin
http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
My latest books can be found here on amazon
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