01 | Fear
The Psalms invite us into raw, passionate, and emotive life with God. The psalmists regularly expose the truth of their feelings before God, even in ways that may seem taboo in our lives. Many of us have believed that feelings are bad and can not be trusted. We've believed that feelings are poor guides, untrustworthy, and will ultimately lead us astray. The truth is, God gave us our emotions. Each of our emotions are helpful tools, leading us to whole-hearted living. Get this - our feelings can be a pathway to Jesus. Emotions expose our neediness. Our neediness provides opportunity for us to be vulnerable. Genuine prayer allows us to bring our full selves to Jesus. Deep faith and full life includes our feelings. We can trust that Jesus can handle, and even use, our emotions.
This week we look at Fear. Fear allows us to experience risk. It awakens us to danger and begins the development of wisdom. We see how David experienced fear and through the wild experience of facing the fear that encircled him, he was able to experience the reality of the trustworthiness of God.
Questions for Discussion
Read Psalm 56. What is the psalmist’s complaint? How does the psalmist experience reorientation?
When fear strikes, how do you deal with it? Do you ever try to force control in these situations? How do you respond to fear?
What about trusting another person scares you?
July 10, 2022 - Gabe Shippam