Weekly Devotions for 3/16/2021

March 16 – God Overcomes Fear

During Lent, our weekly e-devotion will be taken from the “God Acts” devotional booklet. Please follow along in the booklet for a new devotion each day.

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.

We should distinguish anxious fear from humble fear. Anxious fear is focused on ourselves. It is the fear that we are not enough or do not have enough. It is fear based on wanting to hold onto control in our lives. The anxiety that comes from that stems from the recognition that we cannot control everything. Ultimately our lives are not fully in our hands. There are so many factors that can creep up on us and surprise us any given day, and surprises too easily mean losing what we have worked hard to be able to control. In contrast, humble fear is the recognition that our lives are chaotic. They can take unexpected turns at any time. I have learned that when the unexpected arises, to shout out, “Plot twist!” It’s a way of recognizing that we are not the sole authors of our own stories, but rather do our best to live faithfully and authentically in response to an unpredictable world. To recognize that we are not in control of the world is to have a reverent, holy, and humble sense of awe before the mystery of God. As God leads us to overcome our sense of anxious fear, it leads us to this sense of humble and holy fear of God. In this we find wisdom.

For love makes power and wisdom very humble to us; for just as by God’s courtesy he forgets our sin from the time that we repent, just so does he wish us to forget our sin with regard to our unreasonable depression and our doubtful fears. – Julian of Norwich