fear uncovered

So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

Matthew 10:26

My soul fears much more than I care to admit and much of my fear is around what other people do. I am at my heart a fearer of people. This shows up in the way I want everyone around me to like me, to be happy, to agree, and treat me the way I think I should be treated. I never want anyone to think bad of me. It is a perverse kind of selfishness that centers my happiness on pleasing others and judging what they think, not about Jesus so much, but what they think about me. This is fear. It is not good for me to do this.

Often a good day quickly goes bad when I do not get the response I think I should from people. I turn sad or sullen or angry or judgmental or often just a mix of all sorts of dark negativity. It is what fear does to me when I choose it. And it will keep me up at night, ruin my days, steal my joy, and pull my heart from the love and worship of my Lord.

This is why I need Jesus to confront and calm my fears as directly as He does in Matthew 10. I am most afraid when I cannot understand why people act the way they do toward me. But God knows hearts, not me. He will, in His time, as promised here, take care of every selfish or hateful motive from others against me. AND He also uncovers my own selfish fears, making them known by His Spirit’s use of His Word so that in His revealing light I can confront my sinful fear and my own judgmentalism of others, acknowledge my faithlessness, and then properly broken by my sinful failure… I repent!

Lord,

This light upon my fear is exactly what I needed as a reminder for today. Thanks for Your timely wisdom. Uncover my fear and expose my heart by Your Spirit and Your Word. Make me uncomfortable about my sin, and stop me from the idolatry of pleasing others! Uncover my conflicted soul! Make Your power known!

Amen