If We Still Fear, It's That We Don't Know How Much He Loves Us

When I was convicted just for sitting in a city council meeting, a great degree of fear and revulsion washed over me.

What was it that had caused all that fear, that turmoil?

The sense that God was not on the job, that He was not working behind the scenes, that He was not taking care of me.

When I began to realize the importance of assessing God's love for me based on the Cross, not on my circumstances, it became easier for me to ask God a different question about what I was going through:

"Lord, I know that you are working good for me in the midst of this hardship. Just give me a window into what you are doing."

The verse could not say it better:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

That's the most important thing, really. We need to know and believe in His love for us.

This is hard for me. I want all my problems solved. I want to have no legal, medical, professional challenges, whatever.

Then again, the account in Mark 4 always serves as a reminder to me that quiescence around us is not necessarily conducive to peace within us:

"39And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:39-41)

One would have thought that after Jesus rebuked the terrible storm that was threatening His disciples, that His disciples would have been grateful and relieved.

Instead, they "feared exceedingly." Isn't that awful? Where was their faith? Where indeed?!

They did not believe the following:

1. They did not see Jesus as Savior, but only as Master, Example, Teacher.
2. They did not believe that He cared for them.
3. They feared that they were going to perish, when Life Himself was in the boat with them, and there was no way that any of them were going down!

In the same way, I share a similar regret with my loving Father. Time and again I have seen him come through for me, and yet I still struggle to rest and believe that He is taking care of me, even in the midst of some terrible storms. I admit that I want all of my problems solved first.

But that is not faith, and such confirmation of good outcomes is simply not enough.

Indeed, I want to know more of how much my loving Father loves me. I want to understand further how much His Son loves me. I want to receive a greater revelation of God's love for me through His Holy Spirit!