“Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” Mark 4:41 (NIV)
Terrified Grace – Fear Part 5
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4
Ps 23:4 in the Passion Translation, says,
“Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way. Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.”
Fear itself is not the enemy. Our inability to respond to it is. Fear robs us of our ability to be present in the moment. We’ve all been in situations where fear has curled around our hearts and minds, has taken over our senses and has run away with our imaginations. The things that I have done, the words that I have said, and the moments that I have lost under the influence of fear, are too many to count. But Christ is teaching me, the Divine is helping, to be present in every moment, even when fear shows up. To stay calm, to be guarded by peace and led by faith.
In Part 1 of this little series, we mentioned that the Bible tells us not to afraid, but on the flip side, it tells us to fear God. This can be confusing at the best of times. The story in Mark 4 where the disciples were crossing the lake in a boat while battling a horrific storm that Jesus eventually calmed with a simple command, finishes with, “The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41).
The disciples who were so afraid of the storm that they woke up Jesus to save them and watched him do so, are now “absolutely terrified.”
What?!
There are two types of fear. There is a fear that diminishes, intimidates, and horrifies our souls, paralysing our hope and dreams. Then there is a delicious fear, that is more reverence and awe, then trembling and shaking. It’s the realisation that you are in the presence of something far greater than yourself. We catch glimpses of this fear in our own lives in funny little ways… We fear our heroes in the sense that we are in awe of them. I am a big Jamie Oliver fan (Chef from Britain), and if I ever had to cook in front of him, I would be completely terrified. Haha! And absolutely excited.
God, the Divine and Infinite, when in his presence I am completely terrified and in awe of his grace and love and acceptance. And each time I stand up to my fears, ready to cross over and past them, present in mind and heart in their midst, I find myself in the awesome presence of the one who leads me through and guides me to the other side.
What is more miraculous? Having Jesus kill your fear while you wait in the corner? Or having Jesus empower you to walk through and onto the other side of your fear? Maybe at different times and different seasons of our lives, both are just as miraculous as the other.
You don’t need to be afraid of God. He loves you and he is for you, just as he loves and is for us all. When you discover just how great he is; that beautiful and terrifying moment where you realise you are in the presence of the author and essence and keeper of life itself, you may fall to your knees. But not in fear and trembling. Rather, in hope and joy and thanks.
Don’t run from your fear, don’t waste all your energy fighting it with your words and declarations and quotes and flailing limbs. Still your heart, (“Peace be still”) and allow the love of God to transcend your fear and take you to the other side where your fears no longer control you, but teach you what is precious and holy.
Go to Part 6 – Your Storm
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