F-words

Last week I had the privilege of catching up with a dear friend over a steaming cup of chai.  This friend is preparing to move permanently to Southeast Asia as a missionary, and as she prepares, she's been dealing with her own humanity, her fears and grieving and excitement and hope.  As she shared with me, I was so encouraged by her perspective on fear and faith.  She was really open with me as she spoke of her upcoming changes, of leaving family, friends, and a familiar culture.  Then something she said stood out to me:

"Sharon, when I start to become afraid, I know what my problem is: my problem is that I'm not trusting God but rather relying on myself, on my own strength and knowledge."

Wow!  So often when we as Christians are afraid, we get this backwards.  I don't know how many friends I've spoken  of who are contemplating a change in their lives but are afraid to step out in faith because they are fearful of the unknown.  We say we're afraid because God hasn't done xyz, or we're not sure that He will make this next step.  We blame God for a fear when, if we're honest, our own lack of faith is to blame.  We want to be in control; we want to know the what the next 10 years hold rather than trusting God to lead us in just the next step.  We let fear win over faith.

I'm so thankful for my friend's perspective, for giving me a clear view of the reality of fear and faith.  Faith: For all I trust Him.  We trust God because we know His character; we know His faithfulness, goodness, love, grace, justice, perfection, sovereignty, wisdom.  We know that we are His beloved children, and His plans for us are good.  We know He is greater than all of Creation, that none compare with Him.

Just like Peter, when we fear, it is not because our God has failed us or become too small; we fear because we take our eyes off of Him and focus on ourselves.  We fear when we fail to trust God and instead put our faith in ourselves.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11