Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him; for there is one greater with us than with him. II Chronicles 32:7 NRSV
Lord, I want to say that I am strong. I have weathered many of life's storms. I have stood my ground when that was needed. I have stepped aside when called upon to do so.
But how strong am I really on my own? You are the one who makes me strong.
I think I have good courage, yet when the real moral dilemmas occur, I hold my tongue and say nothing. Even when I see an injustice, I am slow to move because I don't want to be hurt instead.
Do I have good courage? Only you give me courage.
As a child I was afraid of the dark. Now I am afraid of losing my job, of not being able to pay my bills, of my spouse leaving me, of being a failure. My fears have grown even as I have.
Do not be afraid? That is not possible. At least not without your help.
Do not be dismayed at the enemy poised at your gates? The worst that could happen is always around the corner. I do feel constantly besieged. I am trapped, sometimes in places of my own making.
But there is one greater than all these. One who gives me courage. One who makes me strong. One who takes my fears and dismays and crushes them into dust.
God, you are that one.
I thank you and praise you forever more.
Amen.
Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims
It is natural for me to fear, I am human. But the Holy Spirit brings those Words to me that Greater is He that is in me, than He that is in the world. Sometimes the world is a very scary place. But we have the God who is in control. Praise Him
ReplyDeleteAmen! See Thursday's blog.
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