Archives For Fear

Thoughts on Psalm 55:22

May 31, 2012 — Leave a comment

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous be shaken.

– Psalm 55:22

I read this today…so many aspects to chew on:

  • Cast: to throw or hurl.  I like this – God doesn’t need us to gingerly surrender.
  • On: so as to be attached to.  Such a departure from the far away or unapproachable description that is so wrongly assigned to God. This is up close and personal!
  • Will: not may or might!
  • Never: a powerful state. We often throw this word around lightly…”you never” or “we never”
  • Shaken: a difficult one. It’s quite possible that my definition of this word is different than God’s.  Maybe I underestimate myself in comparison to what God sees me capable of handling. 

Training Journal – 5/31/12:

  • Current plan: Half-marathon program
  • Today’s session: 6 mi Easy Run @ 9:19
  • Comments: I did 6.5 @ 8:32. While running, I thought about the fact that I was supposed to be at a 9:19 pace. I know I need to practice that pace thing, but I get in the mode… Maybe I need to re-assess training pace.
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O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

October 29, 2011 — Leave a comment

Good words…

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

– George Matheson

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Just Like Me

September 29, 2011 — Leave a comment

I find these quotes comforting.  Not solely for their content, but the identity of the person who thought/penned them:

“The burden is too heavy for me.”

— Moses, Numbers 11:14

“Life’s been nothing but trouble and tears”

— Jeremiah, Jeremiah 20:18

“How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and
day after day have sorrow in my heart?”

— David, Psalm 13:2

“When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.”

— Psalmist, Psalm 94:19

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My “GO TO” Psalm

July 14, 2010 — 1 Comment

Last Sunday, during our adult Sunday School class, Brad was teaching on Jonah and asked us what our “GO TO” Psalm was – you know, the Psalm that you read, claim, or think about when things aren’t going well.  You see, when he was in the big fish, Jonah went to the Psalms as he prayed.

I didn’t share my “GO TO” then, but the one that I would have shared is:

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  Psalm 91:4

I know there are tons of Psalms that speak of God’s help, faithfulness, and love in times of trouble; but this one has always seemed to remind me that HE is great, mighty, strong, and powerful and I am small, truly powerless, and dependent on Him for everything (protection, etc).

It’s one thing to say He protects – how much more to say He protects and is faithful !  We have so many examples of things or people that  protect, but NONE are completely faithful like God (if we are truly honest).

What’s your “GO TO” Psalm?

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Fretters, Get Fettered

January 12, 2010 — Leave a comment

A few days ago, Leonard Sweet posted something to Twitter and Facebook that got me thinking.

He posted:

“Starting in ministry, I fretted we had the meaning but missed the experience. Now I fret that we have the experience but miss the meaning.”

Those two sentences certainly could fill at least a couple of posts in and of themselves, and are are actually two fears that not only people in ministry experience, but those who work in non-ministry jobs.

Quite honestly, when I first read his post, my mind read “fettered” instead of “fretted.”  Immediately, my mind went to the song, Come Thou Fount:

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Continue Reading…

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Perfect Assurance…From our Perfecter

May 6, 2009 — 2 Comments

How easily we allow the “STUFF” in life to impact our assurance (and sometimes our confidence) in our Heavenly Father. The fact is that while our situation, circumstance, whatever may change:

HE NEVER CHANGES! HE IS THE SAME
YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER!

While I can’t recall a specific example right now, I’m sure there were times growing up when I was afraid to do something, but my dad said “Dennis, trust me.” When I remained afraid, I’m sure he was frustrated, but he still assured me that it was OK – “Dennis, trust ME.” I’m sure in my heart I knew that he had my safety and security in mind, but still…“Dad, I’m afraid!”

So, after much prodding, I probably begrudgingly did it and I’m sure I got hurt or it didn’t “go right” a time or two – but my dad’s love and care never ceased…even when I may have thought, “Wait a second!”

How much more is our Heavenly Father
trustworthy, caring, and constantly on our side!

Continue Reading…

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False Fear Fosters Frail Followers of our Forever-Faithful Heavenly Father

April 15, 2009 — 5 Comments

fear_faith

[That was fun to say wasn’t it! Feel free to say if again a few times before reading on…]

So I was preparing for a meeting recently and – quite honestly – was a little nervous…OK, afraid (but in a macho way, dude!).  Maybe you’ve been there… maybe not with a meeting; but hey, everyone get’s nervous! Not that I wasn’t or wouldn’t be prepared – I had and was taking the steps to get ready – that was not the issue.

The issue was a fear or nervousness about who I was meeting with – the person and their title is not really relevant, though it was a representative from the US Government (who, BTW are always “here to help”…just kidding, I have many friends in the government!  If you’re reading this and you are with the Government – you ROCK!). Anyway…the key here was the fact that I was getting worked up over this and letting it impact my morning. I don’t want to make light of this, preparation is key for anything and nervousness is good in some forms, but misplaced fear can be stifling.

I am a huge fan of the Our Daily Bread resource and the reading that particular day was based on Hebrews 13:5-16 (which was the scripture passage). The verse I keyed on was verse 5: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” – really a quote from Psalm 118:6.

WHAT AN AWESOME PASSAGE ABOUT AN AWESOME GOD!!!

Continue Reading…

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