There’s too much fear in the world.
Open the headlines and this will be blazing before your eyes. Fear of intolerance, fear of society, fear of strife, fear of injustice, fear of loneliness, fear of people, and the fear of what is right will all grip your hearts and make you want to run away. Hurting people hurt people. Fearful people cause fear in others. Intolerance breeds strife. Injustice breeds anger. It’s all a cycle and it’s undoing us as a people.
As Christians, we should be set back from participating in the world’s unrest and grace should propel us into action: prayer, service, and the like. But what we should be doing and what is actually happening are two different things. We can’t deny that our hearts are often fearful or discontent. We are people and even though we are saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are still living in the world and it affects us despite us fighting against the stream or rolling with the tide.
So then what do we do? Swing punches with the rest of society? Get bruised as we traverse our way through the undertow of aversion?
Proverbs 29:25 ESV
The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
We cannot fall for the trap of lies that our enemy sets for us. Stepping in his stare entangles us into the sinful society that continuously runs on empty, hopeless lies. We are called to be above and to rest in truth. When we rest in the truth of the Gospel and under the protective wing of our Father God, we can take on the world without fearing the world.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
We have rest when we truly seek it. We have comfort when we truly believe that it is provided for us. Even when we face hard trials, sicknesses, discontent, pain, longing and loneliness, the Lord is there. He provides all that we need. We can have peace and joy through all things and against all the fear that society breeds. Please, take comfort in the Lord’s truth. It is saving knowledge.
We can have peace and joy through all things and against all the fear that society breeds. Take comfort in the Lord's truth. Click To Tweet
Beautiful post and a great reminder to continually recalibrate and align ourselves with Hus truth. I’ve shared your quote and post on Twitter too, this reminder is too powerful not to share xx
I always look to Psalm 23 whenever I am facing the unknown or even fear. Great post!
There’s terror that enfolds me,
a thought of dread and fear,
that I’ve got the last case sold me,
and there shall be no more beer.
What if they pass legislation
of what they do not understand
and again make Prohibition
the dry law of the land?
If imbibing’s seen as a sin
for which I must atone,
I’ll be reduced to bathtub gin
and beer brewed on my own.
And what if, to add to these horrors,
they choose to outlaw cheap cigars?
Such a timely and needed reminder for me… that there is peace despite the storm, I simply have to chose it. I think of the disciples in the boat being tossed about, while Jesus is resting in peace alongside them. Thanks for this.
I’ve been studying Psalm 23 as part of a Bible Study from Our Daily Grace Co. It’s fantastic!