"Why Are You So Afraid?"

Poll: Have you heard the old adage that there are 365 times in Scripture where it says “do not be afraid”? One for every day of the year, they say. So we never need to be afraid, they say.

But, if you’re honest, how’s that working for you?

Perhaps, like me, you’ve heard “do not be afraid” as a command to obey. So naturally, when you’re afraid/anxious/stressed/overwhelmed, you feel like you’re wrong/bad/sinful/disappointing God. Oof.

And then, of course, you hear the voices of shame and should. I shouldn’t feel afraid. I should have more courage and confidence. I should be able to pull myself together. But instead, shame only makes us pull away. We close off, wall up, and wilt. We distance ourselves, even from Jesus, and try harder to control our unwieldy feelings and toughen up.

But, how does Jesus actually feel about our fears?

That is the real question from the second session in our Conversations series of guided prayer exercises. On our zoom call last night, we looked at the familiar passage of the disciples caught in a storm, swept up by the waves and the wind, churning with worry, fearing the worst. They cry out in desperation “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” And Jesus simply replies, “Why are you so afraid?”

If you, like me, have sometimes heard Jesus’ question laced with an accusatory, condemning tone of voice, then this prayer practice is for you. Push play on the above 30 minute recording and allow yourself to be guided in a slow meditation using the metaphor of being in your own storm-tossed boat. Watch how Jesus responds to you and offers new ways of walking through pain, anxiety, stress and overwhelm with Him.

May you gain a deeper trust that your fears don’t frustrate Jesus. Your fears draw Him near.

And if you haven’t been able to join us live yet, you can still come to any or all of the next 4 Sunday evenings at 8:30 EST. Register here to receive the link for the remaining weeks.

This Sunday, March 30th, we’ll explore Jesus’ question, “What do you want me to do for you?” As we’ll see, this is one of the most important but most uncomfortable questions to sit with. So if you want a little guidance and some helpful prayer prompts, I’d love to see you there!

with you,

Sarah

P.S. Did you see that my Holy Week Guides are back!! Hundreds of people have used and loved these over the past few years and I’m thrilled to offer them to you once again! Check it out below.