Why Are You Afraid?
Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your
servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since your
have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” – Exodus 4:10
We are good at excuses, aren’t we? God says to go and
we respond with “but” and proceed to list all the ways what He’s called us to
do will never work. It’s just common sense, we explain. It can only end in
disaster, we assure Him.
He, of course, is Almighty God. Nothing is too hard
for Him. Nothing is impossible with Him. But, truthfully, we really don’t trust
Him with the unknown. How many blessings do we miss because of that?
Moses was afraid to confront Pharaoh. He gave God
excuse after excuse. God rebuked every excuse. God finally agreed that Moses’
brother Aaron could help Moses. Do you think that hurt God? He had called Moses
to greatness, to lead His people to freedom, but Moses didn’t trust that God
would give him the words and protect him on the journey.
We’re no different. We want to step out in faith. We
really do. But there’s that pull of comfort and what we know. Satan whispers
that God’s plan will never work. People around us tell us we’re foolish or lazy
or destined for disaster. So we sink back into what we see and miss what could
have been.
What is your dream? Do you want to go back to school
and become a teacher? Do you want to stay home with your children but you just
know your family could never survive on one income? Do you want to start an after-school
outreach program? Are you feeling led to begin a new Bible study? Maybe you feel
drawn to include your elderly neighbor in a weekly meal? I could go on and on because
there are just so many ways God speaks into our hearts.
But none of that matters if we choose to sit on the
sidelines. Nothing will ever change unless we step up and step out in faith.
For the Spirit God gave us does not
make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7
Do you want to be the person who, at the end of his
life, looks back and sees all the things he wished he had done. Do you want to
end your life regretting missed opportunities? Do you want to stay comfortable
and miss the blessings true faith brings?
The Bible tells us repeatedly not to be afraid. Scholars
who count such things say He tells us that 365 times. One “do not fear” for
each day of the year. Do you think God believes it’s important?
I wonder if sometimes we say no because we’re afraid God
might lead us on a path we never wanted? What if the life God has planned for
us is totally different from the life we had planned for ourselves?
And what if that life is better than anything you ever
could have imagined? Will you be faithful enough to find out? What are you
afraid of?
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