daily spiritual reflection - mar. 25

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart

You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

--Psalm 91:1-8

THOUGHT: I once heard a guy speak about the movie 300  in the context of following God. He said that in the movie (or at least the story it's based on), there were 300 Spartans who stood up against Xerxes with his army of thousands. What's especially amazing about this story is how the Spartans were raised. From their birth, each Spartan is taught to never fear, and to never act out of fear, but to live their lives in courage. The speaker said that Xerxes had taken the Greek Peninsula by storm, and everyone else feared him, and almost immediately surrendered to his massive, terrifying army. But the Spartans fought back-- against ridiculous odds. But those 300, before they died, did some serious damage to Xerxes. And it was their courage that broke the fear of the rest of the peninsula and inspired everyone else to actually fight back. Those 300 were the catalyst that turned the tide against Xerxes.

Living in faith is kind of like being one of those 300. It is characterized by a kind of fearlessness that inspires and encourages others, that brings life to others, even against what seems like all odds. Think about your own relationship with fear. What fears can you identify? Fear of rejection? Fear of not succeeding? Fear of never overcoming some of the issues you struggle with? Do you let fear have authority in your life? When does fear drive your actions? How do you think that faith and courage are related?

CHALLENGE:   One of the keys to bravery and courage, according to this psalm, is the presence of God in the writer's life. Fearlessness and bravery comes directly from knowing and trusting a living, loving, faithful God. Can you imagine what such a God would seem like to you? Think of the friends you have known that have inspired you to be more courageous. Think of the people in your life who have done things to rescue you from a bad situation. Think of the guarding, sheltering presences in your life, that gave you protection (maybe parents, or special teachers, or coaches). List out the traits and personalities (and maybe some stories) of those different people to create a character portrait of a God under whose wings you would be fearless. Then spend some time reflecting on your different fears, trying seeing them from a perspective of being under this God's protection. Take the step of letting go of at least one of your fears, at least for a time, today.