Sept 26 - Psalm 23:4b

I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me

Psalm 23:4b

KJV

Every emotion is okay.

Not every emotion is helpful or pleasant, but … Anger is okay. Fear is okay. Sadness is okay. We suppress honesty and cause guilt when we say that emotions like anger, fear, and despair are not okay.

What matters is not the emotion, but what we do with it! For example, it’s okay for me to feel righteous indignation, even anger, in the face of injustice; but it’s not okay for me to respond with gossip, slander, violence, or sabotage.

Today’s Psalm doesn’t say it’s wrong to fear. If a mugger pulls a gun on me, fear is natural. Similarly, when evil points its finger in our direction, fear is natural too. Rather, what this Psalm suggests is a perspective.

And it starts with a question: Is God real to you or not?

If God is real – and if you believe that God is stronger than anything in all creation – then you may occasionally be startled, but you will gradually cultivate a spirit of boldness.

•      I don’t need to justify myself, because God justifies me.
•      I can stand boldly against injustice, because only God’s judgment matters.
•      I can accept missionary assignments in scary places, because there’s no better place to be than in God’s will.
•      I may not like every diagnosis from the doctor – and I don’t have to (every emotion is okay) – but I don’t need to fear bad news, because if God is real, my future is secure.

Here’s a simple test … How big is worry or fear in your life? Some of us are natural worriers. But every anxiety can be used positively. It can increase our prayer life: “God you are real. I believe. Help my unbelief.”

It’s a matter of perspective. How real is God to you?

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s feeling called

to step out more boldly

because the Good Shepherd

walks beside me