Written by: Rev. Leigh Boelkins Van Kempen
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” (Psalm 56: 3)
I was recently on the phone with a ministry colleague. He called to ask how he could continue to provide support to his church members in our buildings when he can’t physically come visit. As we were finishing the conversation, he asked if he could pray for me. I agreed, and he began praying over the phone. Within the prayer, he used a phrase that resonated with me. He asked God to give me a spirit of “faith, not fear.” My eyes welled up with tears as he spoke those words.
I found these words especially powerful coming from him, because currently his wife is being treated for cancer. She is part of the vulnerable population. If anyone has cause to fear, he and his wife do. If he can Faith, Not Fear. have a spirit of “faith, not fear,” I can too! And that is my prayer for us at Resthaven, today and every day, especially as we are navigating this uncertain terrain that has been created by the coronavirus. As the psalmist prayed, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” I like that he says, “when”, not “if”, because he is speaking truth. He knows that he will have fearful times. We know that we are feeling fearful at times. And his truth can be our truth: when we are afraid, we can turn to God with confidence and trust!
So today, when your life and the world seems overwhelming, God is there, to listen and bless, when we put our trust in Him. May God’s grace and peace fill you today