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Running with Joy and Fear

“So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” (Matthew 28:8, ESV)

“So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” (Matthew 28:8, ESV)

The women ran from the tomb with fear and great joy. It must have been an overwhelming experience, but they went. They were unsure. They were filled with doubt. They had all sorts of questions without many answers, but they obeyed the angel and went.

They also had joy. Jesus was risen. He was alive. They knew that they could not go wrong with him. It was the joy of living in faithfulness. God had surpassed their expectations. There was no better place to be.

When we obey God’s will, there will be moments when we will walk more by faith than we will by sight. There may be more questions in our minds than there are answers. The doubt in our mind may cause us to walk in fear.

But there is a joy in walking in faithfulness. There is a reward for faithfulness. Anything worth doing is never going to be easy. If you know you are doing the right thing, the obedient thing, and the faithful thing – take the leap! Jesus will catch you. You can’t go wrong with him. That doesn’t mean that it will not be fearful, but you will land on your feet. There is no better place to be.

Reflection
  1. Has there been a time where you fearful to obey God?
  2. How do you take the leap of faith when you doubt.
Prayer

Lord, it is not always easy to obey you. I am often weighed down by doubt. I live in fear rather than faith. Give me the courage to live in faithfulness and obedience to you. Give me the power of your Holy Spirit to do the right thing even when I doubt. Amen.

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Speaking to Fear

Speaking to Fear

“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.” (Matthew 28:5, ESV)

The response of the women was different than the soldiers. When the soldiers saw the angel, they feel like dead men. They were marked with sheer terror.

You don’t hear about the women falling like dead women like the soldiers. They were no doubt afraid of this awesome sight, but they don’t collapse like the soldiers. What made the difference? The only distinction in the text is that the angel speaks to the women. The women hear his voice. He says, “Do not be afraid.” There is no indication the soldiers heard the voice.

Life is full of fears. What do you fear? Deep down you might fear poverty or loneliness. You might fear abuse or betrayal. The fear can be overwhelming.

But God is speaking. Hearing his voice makes all the difference. It comforts. It guides. It silences our doubt. It speaks through the noise. It moves us from fear to faith.

Do you hear God’s voice? It is calling out to you if you take the time to listen. Are you living in fear? If so, have you heard God’s voice today? Take the time. Silence the room. Open God’s Word. Instead of telling God about all your fears, seek what he wants to tell you. He is speaking to the fear.

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Giving up the Fear of Failure

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Day 1: Ash Wednesday

Scripture Verses:

  • Psalm 23:1-6
  • Matthew 28:19–20
  • John 14:16–17

Questions to consider:

  • What is your favorite part of Lent?
  • What are you afraid to start?
  • If you took a step of faith into something new, what fears would you need to set aside?
  • How does Jesus help you overcome those fears?
  • How will you pursue the presence of God this Lent to overcome fear?

Plan of Action:

Make a commitment for the next 40 days to confront a fear and take a step towards a calling you have been afraid to live out. Put your commitment in writing and share it with another person.

Reflection

Joshua takes over command for Moses. He had big shoes to fill. Would he be up to the task? No one would blame him for being afraid.

The first thing God says to him is:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

It’s the assigning of a new mission and the first thing God does is offer encouragement to be courageous in the face of fear. The hardest part is often starting.

We continually walk between faith and fear. These might seem mutually exclusive. But the reality is there is no faith without fear. Faith is taking that first step in spite of our fear. It is taking the leap knowing there is a chance we might fall.

The genesis of 40 Things to Give up for Lent was a commitment I made to write on my blog everyday for the 40 Days of Lent in 2014. It was fear holding me back. The writing is the easy part. The hard part is sharing. What if people don’t care or like what I have to say? Certainly there are other people who are better writers and have more worthwhile stuff to share. I had a hundred different excuses not to start. But I just started writing and sharing. A couple of days later, I shared 20 Things to Give up for Lent. It went viral on the internet. Because of the response to that original post, I began to write this 40 day devotional. None of this would have happened without taking that first step. The first step is the hardest. When you take that step, God opens amazing doors.

In the end, I hope this devotion is not so much about giving something up, but stepping into a greater calling. It is setting aside the fear of failure to grab hold of God’s calling on your life. Nothing worth doing will ever be easy. The best things are often the hardest things and the most fearful things.

It goes back to Jesus. Maybe that is why I love Lent so much. Lent for me is about the pursuit of God. It is the assurance of God’s presence that gives us confidence. In him we find the courage to overcome our fear of failure and to take the leap into this brave new world. The more we grasp the presence of God, the more we will have the courage to overcome our fears. When we go back to the words to Joshua, the reason to not be afraid is because God is with us wherever we go. Discover him and give up your fear.

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