“Courage is knowing what not to fear.”

“Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice.” -  Isaiah (Prophet 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah)

Gospel Text: (MT 10:17-22)

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts

and scourge you in their synagogues,

and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake

as a witness before them and the pagans.

When they hand you over,

do not worry about how you are to speak

or what you are to say.

You will be given at that moment what you are to say.

For it will not be you who speak

but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Brother will hand over brother to death,

and the father his child;

children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

You will be hated by all because of my name,

but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

Trying to follow God can be scary. We don’t know what the future holds, and God can seem very unpredictable. What might he ask us to do? Make a huge sacrifice like Jesus did? Endure an unbearable grief? Suffer a prolonged illness? We wonder if we’ll be able to handle what life brings.

Think about the one or two biggest fears you face. Take the time to talk to God about them. Ask him to show you how committed to you he is. Rest in his presence, and let the truth of his faithfulness calm your heart. Your God is always with you, and his love has the power to cast out all fear (1 John 4:18)!