You're Not the Boss of Meናሙና

PRAYER:

God, give me boldness in facing my fears. Help me to know that because you are with me, I don’t have to be afraid.

READING:

Fear – Part 1

There is an element of fear or worry that plagues most of us. From time to time, or in some environments, or in some area of our lives, fear can easily become the boss of us. Fear robs us of opportunities, interferes in our relationships, and impacts our parenting or our marriages. Fear keeps us up at night.

Fear is not always a bad thing. Fear is the by-product of our ability as human beings to accumulate knowledge and apply that knowledge to the future. This is one of the greatest gifts God has given humanity: We are able to collect information and pass it along from generation to generation so that our knowledge base builds and we can make progress.

The forward-thinking ability that allows us to fear also allows us to imagine. It gives us the ability to hope, the ability to dream. Without it, we couldn't look forward to anything. So it’s doubtful that anyone would be willing to give up that ability if that's what it took to eliminate fear. But we don’t want our fears to boss us around.

Jesus had a lot to say about fear. Much of His ministry—and His time with the twelve apostles—was teaching them how to not be afraid.

On one occasion, Jesus had just finished choosing the apostles. He told them that things were going to be difficult for them.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.” - Matthew 10:16

To us, this is a figure of speech. But the apostles had seen sheep among wolves, and the result was a bloody, gory mess. Jesus told the apostles they were going to be arrested and beaten. And then He said:

“So do not be afraid…” - Matthew 10:26

This did not remove their fear—it didn’t even seem to make sense. So Jesus took them on a field trip to teach them about fear. 

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. - Matthew 8:23–26

This isn't just a miracle story to show that Jesus had power over nature—He was teaching the apostles about fear. When He finally got up, He didn't panic. Your Savior doesn't panic. Your heavenly Father doesn't panic. Isn't that good to know? We panic because we project into the future what we know, what we've seen, and what we've experienced. But God, who created time, doesn't panic.

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” - Matthew 8:27

The apostles were afraid of the storm, but then they realized who they were with in the boat. Their confidence in Jesus overwhelmed their fear.

The lesson Jesus was trying to teach them was this: You do not have to allow fear to be the boss of you. You do not have to allow fear to overwhelm you, because there's something more capable and powerful than fear. 

In tomorrow’s reading, Jesus takes the apostles on another field trip to reinforce His lesson about fear.

REFLECTION:

Can you relate to the apostles being so fearful during the storm? What storms in life are you facing right now where you need Jesus to calm the wind and waves?