SEALED

“Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.” — Shirley MacLaine

Ephesians 1:15-23
Isaiah 61:1-3
Acts 2:38-39

Perhaps our fears, when we peel them down to their core, come from forgetting. We fear that we’ll be forgotten by those who care for us, by those who should care for us. The greatest fear is that God will, or has, forgotten us.

For the moment, we can look around and say, “I think he is here. He hasn’t forgotten me today. For now, I can trust him, his presence.”

But we don’t think we can trust Him with the future.

We think, “He won’t be there when I get there, to that place just beyond tomorrow. He’ll forget, he’ll leave, he won’t know what he’s doing, or he won’t care anymore. The world is falling apart with war, corruption, poverty, disease, politics and pain in general. God won’t always have it in hand. He’ll drop me, or he’ll allow this to fall on me.”

But God gave us a promise, knowing that we fear tomorrow, and life, and whether he will wait for us there, just over the hill of what we can see.

The promise did not tell us we’d live free of war, corruption, poverty, disease, bureaucracy or pain. In fact, the gospels indicate that these things will, and must, come. But still we have a promise.

God gave us a pledge that in the face of all of this, he’d hold onto us. He won’t forget; he won’t leave; and he won’t be overwhelmed. He promised that in the end, we’d be all right. We’d be with him.

To prove this, he gives a pledge. Think of it as the most valuable collateral anyone could offer. He gave a piece of himself. He gave his Spirit.

The promise, the Spirit, says to us, “You’re loved. You’re not abandoned. Better days await, and I will stay with you.”

As fears mount, engage them. With his promise in hand, his contractual obligation before you, what is there to fear?

Collin Raye’s song comes to mind: “If you get there before I do, don’t give up on me …. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but I’m not going to let you down … wait and see. And between now and then, till I see you again, I’ll be loving you. Love, Me.”

He won’t let us down. And he’s loving us still. He’s promised.

What of your fears consist of the belief God won’t come through?
Do you trust Him enough to make good on his promises?
Does God’s collateral convince you of His agreement to meet you after tomorrow?

Adam