“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom should I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1). Jesus’ “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18).
Lord Jesus, confession is telling you what you already know—whether it’s our sins and brokenness, or our fears, worries, and anxieties. King David feared a crazy king (Saul), the spearhead of his own son’s javelin (Absalom), the consequences of his foolish acts, and more. We have our own list too. But on this early 2023 Sunday, we want to expose all of them to your perfect, powerful, expelling, transforming love.
What are we afraid of Jesus? Usually, things we can’t control. Will our kids ever love you, and will our prodigals come home? Does forgetting names mean we have early-onset Alzheimer? Is Russia gonna win? Will the chemo work? Are we gonna run out of money, faith, and grace before you return? Have we made such a mess of our lives that hope is no longer an option for us? Jesus, you know our “and more.”
So, how does your perfect love “drive out fear”? Certainly not by eliminating appropriate emotions of concern—or even by eliminating the reason for our fears. Rather, the more of you we see, Jesus, and the more steadfastly our gaze is locked on you… the “wind and waves” don’t instantly stop, but, like Peter, we start “walking on water” (Matthew 14:22-33). Our fears no longer get the unhindered right to grow, growl, and grab our hearts.
Dear Jesus, on a 1-to-10 scale, make your beauty and nearness, your mercy and might, your love and sovereignty so real to us, our size 9.9 fears shrink to a 6.7, then to a 2.1. Wither and shrivel our fears by the greatness of your love and the power of the Gospel. So Very Amen.
