I'm amazed at how much stuff in our culture elicits fear. News, advertising, health-promoting organizations and more, fuel our tendency for fear. I find it can be a primary motivator in what we do and how we direct our lives. We're all vulnerable, some more than others. The degree to which it influences us is determined by perspective and information flow we allow [either positive or negative] and what we do with it.
I think I've written on this topic before but I'm impressed to go this way again, compelled by the Scripture's prescription [Rx:] for it [given in Psalm 37] , knowing that we don't have to live this way, fretting and anxious. Our fears are an opportunity for courage to rise and the Psalmist gives us these directives:
DON'T Fret.
Trust in the Lord
Keep on doing good [the right things]
Dwell in the land [settle down!]
Keep learning how to be more and more faithful
Delight yourself in the Lord
Commit your way to Him
And finally...
REST in the Lord
And why is this so important?
Verse 8b tells us that fretting will take us places we don't want to go...actually, places God doesn't want us to go. We mentioned earlier doing the right things...but it [fear] leads to doing the wrong things [which he enumerates throughout the chapter - envy, impatience, pride, wrong emotions and anger, and it squelches generosity and graciousness, etc.]. I'm certain that his list does not exhaust the negative possibilities!
So, I leave this chapter with you and encourage you to soak in it for a few days, reading and contemplating what it is speaking to you personally. It's feeding me fresh today and it is important. For one writer has said: "Keep your spirit-life calm and unruffled...nothing else matters. Leave all to Him. This is your great task, to get calm in His presence and not allow any blessing from Him to be checked or diverted."
Who knows...I might even stop biting my nails....
Amazed,
Mitch
