Faith > Fear
As we look around the landscape of our society, it’s easy to see fear and anxiety on so many faces. If we’re honest, we don’t have to look very hard. There seems to be a steady flow of uncertainty. “When will this quarantine end? When can I go back to work? When will I get to see my friends and family again? What if it goes longer than I thought?” The “what if’s” and “when’s” are commonplace right now.
There have been many seasons in my life, especially seasons of transition, that have felt like the “hard stuff” was lasting an eternity. A couple of years ago my wife and I were leading our Hartford campus while living in New Haven, and we knew the Lord was leading us to move closer to Hartford in order to care for it well. So, we sold our house confident that we would find the right place and that the timing was going to work out perfectly! In the end, the timing did work out perfectly, but it wasn’t our version of perfect! We found ourselves staying with friends for the next five months while the Lord was preparing our next home! Sometimes things don’t always go the way we expect or the way that seems the best to us.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the story of Moses and how he led the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land. During their journey, Moses sent out twelve spies to the land of the Canaanites to scope it out for 40 days. When they returned, there were two responses:
1. Ten of the spies returned in fear. The giant people that occupied the land and the strong city walls didn’t seem conquerable.
2. Two returned in faith that they could occupy the land. Despite what they saw, they believed God was with them.
There’s a clear difference between the two responses. One was of fear based on what they saw, experienced, felt, and heard. The other was of faith, rest in the goodness of God, and trust that He would do what he said He would do. The Lord was with the Israelites. If their response had been one of faith and they had trusted in God, they would have overcome the Canaanites. But instead, they responded with fear. They were stuck for 40 years and a generation died in the wilderness!
We are in a similar moment in history where we need to make a decision.
Are we going to respond in fear or in faith? Do we want to be like the ten hesitant spies, or do we want to be like the two who said, “Let’s go take the land!”
Will this COVID-19 quarantine be something that paralyzes us with fear? Will it cause us to expect the worst-case scenario, or will this be something we see as an opportunity? Could this be an opportunity to trust God, and for God to show his might and majesty? Could this be something He uses to draw close those who are far from him?
The Lord has been challenging me to reflect on how I posture myself in this season with all that’s going on. Is my posture going to be one of faith or one of fear?
I want to challenge you to walk in faith and trust that, what the enemy meant for evil, God is going to use for your good and propel you into your next season of faith!
I encourage you to spend the first portion of your daily meditations recalibrating your trust and dependence on the goodness of God. Reflect on your past successes and how the Lord has come through for you. Return to the place of your last victory and allow it to be something that propels you forward once again!