Don't be afraid, your Father in Heaven knows what you meed
This encounter
happened almost 20 years ago on a sultry day in Bahrain. I was staying in a
multi-storied building in the downtown area. I was very much in need of money but
there was nothing left. I felt lonely, depressed and dejected. After a tiring
day, I retired for the night. Although it was pitch dark, suddenly I felt that
my room was filled with light. Its luminosity and radiance was something
indescribable.
I felt so serene and
joyous that I would call this the ‘Joy of the Lord’. Something inside me
started telling me, "Here is your God; ask him whatever you want; he can
wipe off all your miseries." But dear friend, I could not ask anything
other than uttering ‘Holy. Holy, Holy, You are Holy’. It did not last long and
I came back to the normal world soon. I really enjoyed the Joy of the Lord, a
divine pleasure which the world cannot give and grasp. I was sure that my
heavenly Father will save me from all my miseries as He already knows what I
need before asking Him. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father
knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." (Mathew 6:8).
Next day, one of my
neighbours in India
came to help me like an angel sent by the Heavenly Father. Do you know how
thrilled I was? He came to me at a time when I was in dire straits --
financially and emotionally.
That's my encounter
with God. Let me come to you.
Are you afraid of
something? I know the answer. Although you want to say no, your answer would be
‘yes’. Every descendent of Adam is born with a fear complex as an inheritance
from the forefathers.
What are you afraid of
then? You don’t know. Adam disobeyed God and committed the first sin. From that
moment onwards, he became the subject of a fear complex and he hid himself
under a tree clothed in green leaves as he felt naked and afraid in the
presence of God. It is from here that the descendents of Adam inherited this
fear complex.
You might be afraid of
events of the past, the present and the future. Compunction, or guilt feeling,
is the root cause of fear of the past. You might be vexed about the past
incidents in your life. It might be in your relationship with your neighbour or
your economic failure or the loss of goodwill among the people around you. You
might be worried about the fear of death and the past. For the present, you
might be afraid of all the situations (mentioned above) in the past as well as
in the future.
You can’t change
whatever has happened and whatever has to happen will happen. Both are beyond
your control. But the present is always with you and is always under your
control.
But don’t get nervous
or vexed. Haven’t you seen young children sitting comfortably in the hands of
their fathers? They are not afraid of the dog or the snakes or anything because
they know that they are safe in the hands of their father. This is absolutely
true in your case also. Believe me, you will be safe and protected from all the
evils and despondencies in the safe hands of your father, the God Almighty.
Only He has promised you, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What
can man do to me?" Hebrew 13:5-6.
God promises: "I
tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after
that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him
who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.
Yes, I tell you, fear Him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?
Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many
sparrows." Luke 12: 4-7.
God is our provider. “Consider
how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God
clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown
into the fire, how much more will he clothe you -- you of little faith! And do
not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For
the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need
them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as
well." Luke 12: 22-31. This is a promise from God.
You might have
recently read about a child jumping into the hands of his father from the 16th
floor of a building that caught fire but got saved. Likewise, your heavenly
Father is ready anytime to save you. The only thing is that you should have the
courage to jump into his hands. What you need is ‘faith’ in Almighty God.
He is your defender and protector. "He is my refuge and my fortress; My
God, in Him I will trust." Psalms 91:2.
What I want to stress
is only one thing: "Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God,
dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him." (Romans 12:1). Do not
be afraid, seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and all the other things
will be added to you.
(The writer is the
Director and Senior Consultant in internal medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital,
Thodupuzha)
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