Shaken Not Stirred

When is the last time you were afraid? Worried?
Last night at our lifegroup we began the evening just sort of chatting and IT quickly and naturally because of all the media coverage came up – what did we think about the new healthcare plan… were we worried? Afraid? How did we think it would affect us and our families? Then we easily got into the heart of our discussion based on the series our pastor has been doing this month – an unshakable faith.
Some of what causes us to fear something is sometimes known facts, but I venture to guess for most of us (if you’re like me and I think you are) it’s the “unknown”.
Isn’t that what usually causes fear to grip our heart? Keeps us up at night? Give us high blood pressure? Anxiety attacks? Stresses us out?
When was the last time you were really afraid? Is it something happening right now? It is a possible loss of a job? Your health? A rebellious child? A rocky marriage? It’s usually most often because of the unknown and because there are unknowns we begin to work through scenarios of just how bad a situation might be or become – and that always somehow ends up being on the “worse” end of the spectrum, right? We rarely imagine the best possible scenario when there is an unknown. :)
That’s letting fear decide what our perspective is.
We let fear and uncertainty convince us something will go wrong - if not that something is wrong - and that if it does go wrong we let it convince us something is true when it isn't, or that it will be very likely the most horrible thing that could ever possibly happen! Sometimes we rush to judgment and end up even taking someone else down with us in that fear and despair over an end result we cannot begin to predict or know!

It even causes us to decide to judge others situations, or what kind of people they are just because we know so very little about them. When we judge our own situation or others like this we made drastic mistakes. And the results? Well, they are anything but prayerful or discerning reactions. Fear of the unknown distorts our vision and our reactions.

Psalm 112:7
They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.

Psalm 118:6
The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?

Proverbs 1:33
But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

Proverbs 3:24
You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.

Jeremiah 39:17
but I will rescue you from those you fear so much


Might we consider this thought… that whatever the situation may be in actuality or what it may become, and even if it does end up being extremely difficult and causes all sorts of fall out in our lives – that maybe it’s STILL not really all about us?
That the bigger plan may just be about someone else’s needs more than our own, more than about us – that’s even if it’s hard to get through that we are meant to serve someone else in the process that may or may not ever become evident later?
Can we live with that? We should be able to if we truly accept and believe we have a loving faithful God that is never shaken, is never taken, is never sleeping, and if we understand that Romans 11:36 is truth and is the release we need to be unafraid and have an unshakable faith in our God “For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things.”

Marisa Lykins
Love89.1FM
March 25, 2010