Do It Afraid

Psalm 56:3

When I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Jeremiah 1:8

“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

There are going to be times in our lives when we will be afraid.  Whether it is legitimate for us to feel that emotion…matters not.  Fear will be there.   There are many times throughout the Word of God that He tells someone to not be afraid.  Most of the time the fear is a response to God requesting something of them.  Asking them to do something that is completely outside their ability or desire to even do it.  God does not say…”Oh I know you’re afraid so never mind…you don’t have to do what I’ve asked you to do if you’re so afraid.”  Quite the contrary…He STILL expects them to do what is being asked of them.  But, even if the fear doesn’t go away…He expects them to…do it afraid.  When we obey…even in fear…we are blessed.

Sometimes we may need to do something that He hasn’t specifically asked us to do…we just know that for us…it is the right thing…it needs to be done.  Even if we are afraid.   Since Rick died there have been MANY times I have been afraid…times when I must do things alone or times when I must do things that I have no idea how to do.  In those times, I hear very clearly God telling me that if the fear is stubborn and will not go away…I must do it afraid.  When I have been obedient and persevered in spite of the fear, I have come out stronger and more confident.  Not just in myself…yes I did something that I thought I couldn’t do.  But, more importantly I have gotten more confident that God is really with me…He is enabling me to do things that without Him I would never be able to do.  Things like…going to bed alone…going places I have never been, getting lost and finally arriving at my destination…tilling and planting my garden…really trusting Him again…buying a new car…taking care of A Refuge…meeting with Board members…making financial decisions…teaching and writing….caring for my family in Rick’s absence.

Things in your life that might bring on fear are most likely not the same as mine.  God knows what they are and He says that He doesn’t want us to be afraid.   But, He also knows that we will be.  He still asks us to move forward…doing it afraid.  Whatever is going on in your life right now…whatever your challenges, needs or problems…God is telling you to take steps forward.  Don’t let being afraid of something keep you from moving forward.  Trust Him to be there and keep going.  He is cheering you on…waiting at the finish line!

I wanted to go some place in Louisville on Sunday afternoon that I had never been before.  It was rainy and nasty outside, but I was determined to go.  I had no idea how to get there.  You have no idea how hard this was for me…or how strong the feeling of being afraid was for me that afternoon.  Rick has always been my “map”…he knew how to get anywhere…no GPS was ever needed as long as I had him with me.  I own a Tom-Tom now, but for some reason it couldn’t tell me how to get to my destination on Sunday.  I left anyway.  I called the place…the lady that gave me directions could have just as well been speaking a foreign language…I had no idea where she was trying to send me.  I kept going.  I called again…got a different lady who went and got a man.  He also tried to tell me where to go.  I still had no idea…but kept going…pouring rain, fear and all.  I called one more time and FINALLY understood where they were trying to send me.  What should have taken 30 minutes took me an hour, but I got there.  When I walked in the lady at the desk said…”Oh is that the lady from Taylorsville…I’m so glad she finally found us!”  I wanted to say, “me too lady”…but refrained.  I DID think however…I did it afraid and made it…You and I did it Lord!  As silly as this sounds, for me it was a big deal.  I knew that I could not stop, I had to do it afraid and am so glad that I did.  The next time when I must do something alone or the next time God requires something of me…it will be easier for me to say yes…even in the midst of fear.

Do it afraid…He is calling us to listen and obey and persevere…each victory draws us closer to the One who says…Do not fear, for I am with you.  Praise His Name…He always is.

Sending much love,

Debbie

This entry was written on May 3, 2010 at 11:59 pm