THE FEARS OF THE IMPERFECT

It is amazing how many times we can read a specific portion of scripture throughout the years, and how God can use all of those different instances to speak something fresh and new to us. As I have continued my reading through 1 Samuel this last week, I hear God speaking in different ways during my time with him. I have recently been quite intrigued this go around by the transformation of King Saul: the chosen ruler of Israel, one who had the Spirit of God within him, becoming a raging maniac driven by hatred and anger. This is not a shock, or even new information to me, but for some reason it is resonating with me even more as I read through this transformation.

Saul realized more and more that God was with David, and how much his own daughter, Michal, loved him, his fear of David increased and settled into hate. Saul hated David. (1 Samuel 18:28-29 MSG).  

Saul allowed fear and insecurity he had towards David to grow into hate. This fear is what drove Saul to loose his sanity. This fear drove Saul to neglect reason and logic. It lead him to a place of murdering innocent priests and their families. Fear destroyed Saul’s life, his family, and his kingdom.  

If we look at our own lives, there are many situations that might lead us to be fearful. Just one look at a major news website will drive almost anybody to a place of fear for what our future looks like. There are also those who experience the fear of failing health, financial pressure, relationship struggles—all of which would be justifiable in feeling fearful or anxious over.  

Scripture is filled with instances of opposition and fear. Scripture is also filled with a charge to become reliant on God through those dark times of fear and anxiety. It is unrealistic for us as Christians to expect that we will never feel fear because we are saved by grace. In fact, we should feel fear. It is inherent in our nature to do so. And there is nothing that we can point to in scripture that assures us that we will not be afraid in difficult situations. It’s hard to accept that at times there are going to be things that we walk through in life that are scary, that don’t make sense, and that are painful. The one thing that we can point to, however, is a God who remains faithful to us through those times. That doesn’t mean that those things all of a sudden become easy to deal with, but it means that we have a God who will walk beside us in the midst of it all.    

So many of the songs that we sing from week to week allow us to declare with one voice the goodness and faithfulness of our God. There are times when it is very easy to proclaim these words, and there are other times where it feel nearly impossible to do so. It is in these times of fear where I have experienced God move in mighty ways in my own life. God’s word remains faithful and true, and that can be challenging to swallow in the midst of the battle. Part of what I love about our worship times on Sunday mornings is seeing a community of imperfect people, all having different stories and backgrounds, all dealing with different circumstances and fears, declare the name of the Lord together. God never desired for us to walk through these struggles and fear alone. He has given us his presence, and he has given us each other. Lets be a community that walks together, hand in hand, lifting those up who need it. We don’t have to carry fear on our own!

Ryan
rpickrel@b4church.org