Facing Fear

This morning I had one of those Bible reading experiences where the words seem to jump off the page and slap me in the face. Today those words were...

"Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?

These words come from Matthew 8. Jesus and the disciples are out on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the storm. The disciples are convinced they are going to die, so they wake up Jesus and try to explain the gravity of the situation. Jesus responds with the question above.

Jesus had just healed a leper, Peter's mother-in-law, and a centurion's servant. He deserved their faith. He deserves mine.

I'm leaving for Israel in 12 days, and too be honest, I have some fears about leaving. Most of the fears I have are not about safety, they are more about missing my friends and my family or finding a job when I get back. Reading Matthew 8 this morning was a reminder to me that I don't need to be afraid. Jesus deserves my faith.

I had a couple other great reminders that I don't need to fear. First, I listened to a sermon my brother Bobby gave last week on "A Confident 2007" from Psalm 27. He says that the presence of the Lord drives away fear and enables us to face our fears.

Second, I looked through some ancient blogs I've written and seen moments like this where I have had fears about the future. Here's a section of one of them:

"All the driving near the end of the trip gave me plenty of time thinking about the future. And just like the nightime road, the future was dark, and I really couldn't even see five weeks in front of me. To be honest, I did not like that feeling; I was scared of what might lie ahead. But these times helped me consider the Lord, for he holds the future in his hands. I knew that I could cast my many cares upon him, because he remains the same, and he will lead me by quiet streams and green pastures, and surely his goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and through all the incredible events to come. Amen."