Are you scared? Can you take a piece of paper to write down your fears? Now, consider what you have written and ask yourself why you have these fears. What if I tell you that your fears are your greatest treasures? Are you wondering how?
– Life is a classroom, and your fears are the examination scripts. Naturally, we humans love the place of comfort; we would rather skip the exam and remain where we are, but the truth is that if we truly desire to move to the next level, we have to write our exams; that is, we have to face our fears; we must attempt to see what becomes of us when that which we fear happens.
– Abraham had every reason to fear when he was told to sacrifice Isaac, but he went ahead to tie the boy up on the altar. He wanted to see what lies on the other side of his fear. Do you realise that everything you seek is on the other side of your fears? You must face your fears squarely to achieve something great, like David, who ran towards Goliath.
– Of course, David was fully afraid when he faced Goliath. It is normal to be scared when you face one who appears stronger than you, but like David, the key to success is to hang on to faith. David was scared, but he kept reminding himself of what God had done for him in the past. David kept telling himself that God, who had saved him from the mouth of the lion, would save him again.
– David continued this self-talk while picking up stones and running towards Goliath. When Goliath threatened David, David uttered a statement of faith: “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17:45). A child of God must never stop declaring faith in the power of God even when they are afraid.
– In today’s Gospel passage, the disciples of Jesus had every reason to be afraid because they faced a great storm. Instead of declaring faith in God, they expected the worst to happen. They were so frightened that they almost forgot God was physically present with them in the boat. When they remembered Jesus, He woke up and rebuked the sea. Never forget that God is with you.
– No matter what you face, call on God first and keep reminding yourself of what God has done in the past. You may not completely delete fear from your mind, but you must allow your faith to overpower that negative voice within you. Use your faith to cure your fear.
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, give us the kind of faith that Abraham had. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Happy New Month of February 2025
Be Happy.
Live Positive.
Have Faith.
It is well with you.
May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all.
(Saturday of week 3 in Ordinary Time. Liturgical Colour: Green. Bible Study: Hebrews 11:2-19, Luke 1, Mark 4:35-41).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu
