Hey whats up everyone!! For this week, I had a very challenging conversation about fear and faith. In today’s world, we experience so many things that can bring about so much fear, such as “when will I get married and to whom will I get married to?” or things such as how can we really tell if we are in the will of God for our life? On the other end, there are a lot of things that can promote faith in God as well. Scripture tells us 365 times to not fear, and that His plans for us are for our good and His glory.
I had an interesting conversation with a close person in my life. Her name is Mckenna. She was explaining to me how God’s plans for us could be compared to a spider web. Now before you discount this comparison, hear me out because it makes sense and is powerful. She said that the web represents God’s plans, and that as we draw nearer to God, just as a person walks closer to a web, they get clarity of the web. So the same could be true of God and His heart for us. The closer we get to Him, the clearer we see what He is maneuvering in our lives. This struck me because I never have thought about it like that before. To me, this could give a solid explanation for both fear and faith.
It could show fear in the sense that because we can’t see what God is doing, it must mean that He has neglected us or is just so distant. I don’t know about you, but that would scare me. Life’s challenges are very scary if we were to be alone to deal with them. Jesus does tell us, however, that He has NOT given us the spirit of fear, but rather He has given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). This is such a strong verse because it speaks directly to the fear in our hearts when we can’t totally see what God is doing behind the scenes.
On the other end of the spectrum, the web could also promote faith in the same reasoning. That because God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, we can trust in Him even when we can’t seem to get a visual of His work in our lives. Jesus tells us that “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” (John 14:27). This is heavy on my heart because Jesus desires for us to have peace, even in the midst of the unknown.
We can trust in Jesus that even if we can’t see the full outline of His plans. It is comforting that we have a way to know that His promises are true regardless of what the physical shows. This web that is compared to the plans of God helped me so much because it shows me that the closer I get to Him, the more I will learn about my purpose on earth. I think if we grasp that idea, it will help us so much to pursue God and to trust Him with our future more. When we do that, our lives will be lived in such a manner that will show the world how amazing it is following Jesus and how Jesus desires for us to live a full life of purpose. I hope this encourages everyone!!
Love y’all,
Ryan W.
