Day 365: Isaiah 51:12

"I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass?" ~Isaiah 51:12, NIV

God introduced Himself to Moses as the "I am". He still is - and as this verse in Isaiah attests, He is God our comforter. Our fear of other humans is plain ol' silly in His book, and as our God, he doesn't want to see us take part in such painful silliness.

The "I am" will comfort you in your hurt, in your fear, in your terror, in your ache. We are but grass, but our God is a homeowner proud of His garden - He takes care of it, including You.

Day 364: Psalm 55:23

But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you." ~Psalm 55:23, NIV

Justice. Back in the day, mankind assumed that God's justness would manifest itself solely in this life, but Job's account disproved that. Regardless, ultimately His justice is served, as this psalmist explains.

And the righteous have nothing to fear from God's justice - for they trust in Him and as a token of their trust, serve Him. This year we've seen a lot of things written out, but in the end, it's all about one thing: your relationship with God. Is He your friend? Is He an acquaintance?

Do you recognize His voice? Do you believe, have hope in that voice? Chances are good that if you deal with fear, it's because you don't know God well enough on a one-to-one level.

Day 363: 1 Kings 17:13

"Elijah said to her, Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son." ~1 Kings 17:13, NIV

God was doing a big thing in Israel - He had forbidden the clouds to produce rain because Elijah had asked, as a sign to the evil King of the time. However, that also meant that the people were suffering, such as the widow Elijah is talking to in this verse. This widow was preparing herself and her son to die, but Elijah asked her to first make him some bread and get him some water.

She was incredulous, but did so, using up the last of her resources. When Elijah told her to go back and make something for herself, oh shock! All of the resources had been replenished!

Elijah was God's voice to this widow, telling her not to be afraid, that He was going to take care of her through the prophet. And today we can also hear God speaking through Elijah, promising to take care of us, to deliver us in our time of need.

He is here, and He loves you, and wants to be as near to you as you will let Him - nearer, more present, even.

Day 362: Psalm 9:9

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." ~Psalm 9:9, NIV

Who is God to you? Is He the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Ruler of the Universe that He really is, or have you somehow managed to put Him in a box in your mind? Is He good, or do you doubt His goodness?

If He is good, then His word is true, if His word is true, then this verse tells us something lovely about the nature of God - He's on the underdog's side. The people that society oppresses? He loves them, too. He is their strength, and can be ours too, if we align with Him.

Is He your refuge, your stronghold in times of trouble? Do you trust Him, do you believe in His goodness?

Day 361: Psalm 31:1

"In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness." ~Psalm 31:1, NIV

The psalmists, oh we've heard an awful lot about them this year, and it's been mostly the same thing - they made a lot of good choices. In the end, they always went to their wise and good God to give them strength and courage, and to take away all their fear.

It is a choice, something we must choose every day. It's not a one time decision - it's an every time we get scared, every time something big and bad comes up decision. We can do it.

Because all it involves is having a little faith and enough hope that God is good and faithful, strong enough to save us. Amen?

Day 360: Ezekiel 34:28-30

"They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid.I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord." 
~Ezekiel 34:28-30, NIV

First off, Merry Christmas! May your household be filled with the peace of our loving Father and His son, Jesus Christ.

I'll try to make this brief - God's ultimate will is that everyone would be able to live in a relationship with Him. On that day, He can bring peace on Earth and goodwill among all men. This verse describes the plan God has ultimately for Israel, that they will not be under attack from their neighbors, that they will live in safety, that they will have a fertile land and that the world will cease to hate them.

The one, vital step to that plan was the existence of one man, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. I've said it before, but we celebrate the day that our God's progeny came to die. On this day, remember what God's ultimate plan requires: that no one should perish, but that all might know Him and have everlasting life.

The way the verse is set up, it looks like it's a cause and effect verse - when God creates this paradise for Israel, then they will know He is their God and they are His people. But I would say it's the opposite. Because they know that the Sovereign Lord is their only God and Savior, He will be able to grant them that goodness. Either way, it works.

Has God given you prosperity? Then know that He is the Lord your God. Do you know He's God? Then know that His ultimate plan is to prosper you greatly, be that in this life or not.

He loves you. He sent His son to die, and today we remember that. May God bless you.

Day 359: Psalm 94:22

"But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge." ~Psalm 94:22, NIV

God bless America.

Tough times happen. The world we live in is full of basically evil people with some good inside of them, and thus, courtesy of Satan,  terrible, terrible things occur.

Does this mean God isn't good? Does this change God's status as God?

No. This means that when this sort of thing jumps into your life by surprise, you have a chance - have a choice - to make actual the Scripture. God uses even evil things for good, and one good thing is drawing you nearer to Himself. He wants to be able to come in, wrap His arms around you and be with you during those hard times. It's only in tragedy, in difficulty that we really get a picture of God our fortress, God our refuge.

God doesn't just want us to remember Him when we're in trouble though - He wants to be a part of our prosperity as well. So this Christmas - can you believe it's tomorrow? - remember, remember, remember that God sent Christ to die so He could be near to us.

Day 358: Psalm 18:17

"He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me." ~Psalm 18:17, NIV

God loves His children. It's a simple fact that isn't always as simple to believe, but when the worst comes to worst, there's another fact to hold on to, equally as difficult to believe.

He's there. He will save you. He's saved countless others in your position - and the psalmists wrote about it. The God you believe in was the same yesterday, is the same today, and will be the same tomorrow.

The God who saved the psalmist yesterday, will save you today, and you progeny tomorrow. You will come up against enemies bigger than you can actually handle. But that doesn't mean they will defeat you - it just means you have to lean on the source of power, and believe in Him.

Day 357: Deuteronomy 31:7

"Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance." ~Deuteronomy 31:7, NIV

Fulfilling God's plan for you life won't be easy. Sorry, it just doesn't happen. For Joshua it was doubly, maybe triply so, just because of the nature of the people that he was leading.

But God was with him, God lead him and directed him to be strong and courageous. Joshua couldn't avoid his destiny. But just because he couldn't leave it didn't mean it would best him - God gave him strength, God gave him courage, God gave him what he needed when he needed to be the hero that we remember him as today.

He'll do the same for you, and all He asks is that you listen and obey with strength and courage.

Day 356: Psalm 31:14

"But I trust in you, Lord; I say, 'You are my God.'" ~Psalm 31:14, NIV

Choices. We make them all the time. Sometimes we make them for our current self, sometimes for our future self. Sometimes we make them irrationally, other times too rationally, sometimes too emotionally, sometimes we don't even choose to make them, they just happen.

The psalmist here is obviously stating his simple choice, and it's one we too, have to make daily. Will we trust in God? Will we let Him be the Lord of our lives?

Let this verse be a reminder that while God has a plan and purpose for you, you choose whether or not to accept that destiny. And I promise, that destiny has nothing to do with cowering in fear at your terrors.

Day 355: Judges 4:18

"Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, 'Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.' So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket." ~Judges 4:18, NIV

This verse might be a little controversial and almost against my point, but I'm going to use it anyways. Here's the scoop: Sisera was the general of an army that was trying to destroy Israel in the promised land, but thanks to God, the Israelites had routed his army and were pursuing him. He came upon lady Jael's tent, and as the verse shows, she went out to meet him and brought him into her tent.

She told him not to be afraid. He believed her, and entered her tent and hid. Jael ended up killing the dude by driving a tent peg through his head, and that's part of the point.

God's plan for the Israelites was to destroy their enemies. Anyone who's not on the Lord's side shouldn't be taken in by someone claiming that they don't need to be afraid. I'm sorry, but the fact is if you are against God you will not stand. Just like Jael telling Sisera he didn't need to be afraid, anyone against God who thinks they don't need to be afraid is LYING to themselves!

Conversely, anyone who IS on God's side can know that He has the situation under control, and they DON'T need to be afraid.

So whichever side you're on, take heed - God is watching, and He is just. He's a God of second chances, it's true, but He's not going to let the wicked get away with their schemes forever. Whether they get justice in the afterlife or here, we can't say, but we know that ultimately, good always wins.

Day 354: Isaiah 37:6

"Isaiah said to them, Tell your master, 'This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me." ~Isaiah 37:6, NIV

Sennacherib was the leader of the Assyrian army, and they were threatening Israel at her very gates - scoffing that even though the King Hezekiah might proclaim "the Lord of Israel will deliver", no god had ever delivered someone from the Assyrians.

Two things - one, that was because the Assyrians hadn't yet come upon the true God, and two, knowing the truth makes you prepared to take on lies, to filter them out. A lie might be "I'm not good enough", or "they're bigger than my God!" If you live believing those kinds of lies, of course you're going to be afraid!

But like Isaiah said, we don't have to be afraid of lies. Walking in truth isn't easy (for sometimes the truth hurts, or is harder to believe than the lies), but ultimately, if you know it, lies won't scare you.

The Bible is the truth; when in doubt, seek God out and He will always answer you - maybe not in your time or with the answer you want, but He will answer.

Day 353: Psalm 73:23

"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand." ~Psalm 73:23, NIV

So a lot of times we quote God telling us that He'll always be with us. This verse seems a little backwards then, doesn't it? I will always be with Him? He holds my right hand?

This just reflects God's will that we choose Him. Yes, He'll always be available, but it's up to us to accept His love, His goodness, His grace, His promises. When we do that, we're also accepting that there's nothing in this world to fear, and we're taking a certain measure of control over our destinies by putting it in God's hand.

And when we do that, He leads us by the hand down the path of His plan - which is perfect, and in it is perfect love, which casts out all fear. The choice, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) is yours.

Day 352: Psalm 91:4

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." ~Psalm 91:4, NIV

Just imagine for a moment, that you are safely and snugly wrapped up in a blanket next to a roaring fire, leaning against the the side of God. His arm is wrapped around you, holding you close to Him, and His voice is soft in the dark room.

I will never leave nor forsake you, I loved you so much that I had my son die so that sin would not keep you apart, my plans for you are perfect; safe.

... that's the image I get from this verse. How about you?

Day 350: Psalm 33:18

"But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love." ~Psalm 33:18, NIV

There is a common theme in many mythologies and religions, this concept of a guardian angel. The guardian watches over their charge, ensuring that no harm comes to them so long as it is their job to take care of them. This theme is also present in the Bible, but right here, the psalmist shows that we have so much more.

Our God, the big man behind all of the guardian angels, is watching us himself. He knows who trusts Him, and whose hope is in Him, and according to this psalm He takes special care of those people. Hope. It's a powerful thing. It is stronger, even, than fear, when placed in the right place.

Take courage. God sees where you are, and He knows the way for help. He's on that path, with you through every step of the journey you're on.

Day 349: Psalm 118:6

"The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" ~Psalm 118:6, NIV

What a prevalent thought - that when in God's hand, nothing can touch us, nothing can stop us. It reoccurs several times in this psalm. It is a repetitious thought throughout the Bible.

Why?

It's all about God. It's not about us. He is big enough, He can do infinitely more, and He loves us more than we can comprehend. He is the reason any of us exist. If He is in us, then we can choose to not be afraid, and we can realize that none of it matters without Him.

Mere mortals, bah, what are they in the face of eternity? For that is what we have to gain or lose.

Day 348: 1 Samuel 12:14

"If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good!" ~1 Samuel 12:14, NIV

After Samuel had made Saul king by God's appointment, he gave a speech to the new king and the Israelites. The Israelites especially needed to be reminded that their true king was God, and that the point of having a human king was to teach them how to better serve God.

In addition, his speech gave a point that has been proven time after time - fearing the Lord by serving and obeying Him gives goodness and life, and negates the need to be afraid of worldly death. God longs to give good things to His children, but He has to be sure that they will use those gifts wisely. Fearful children make stupid mistakes, I'm afraid.

Day 345: 2 Kings 13:17

"'Open the east window,' he said, and he opened it. 'Shoot!' Elisha said, and he shot. 'The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!' Elisha declared. 'You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.'" ~2 Kings 13:17, NIV

God has a tendency to do incredible things. The King Jehoahaz was serving the Lord, but his enemy was coming to Jerusalem, and previous encounters had not left much of the Israelite army. So the King went to Elijah, who did the above, mostly symbolically.

What he declared, however, was that Jehoahaz would completely dominate his enemies. God's word to those who have faith, believe, and want to serve him is "You will completely destroy your enemies."

God's provision, hope and victory should give you a good sense of whose side you're on.

Day 344: Psalm 48:3

"God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress." ~Psalm 48:3, NIV

Cities. Ah, yes, we name them, and they go through life cycles. So it's no wonder that when poets get their writing utensils out, they personify the places that we live as people - in this case, we're talking about Zion, the city of the Great King.

She is just a place, and yet somehow God is in her, and is her refuge, the walls around her citizens. Poets don't personify without purpose. If they want us to believe God inhabits a city as a person, then isn't the point they're trying to make that God inhabits people as He does a city?

Will He not protect them from attacks, from sieges, from catapults and ballistas, trebuchets and cannons? Will He not provide for the city, making its inhabitants teem with blessing?

Yes, He will. That city has nothing to fear - and neither does the person who trusts in the Lord. 'God will protect them,' is the message I read from this psalm.

Day 343: Psalm 85:8

"I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly." ~Psalm 85:8, NIV

Listening is underrated sometimes, but in order to understand what we hear, we really have to listen. And with someone as seemingly incorporeal as God to listen to, it takes that much more focus to hear what He wants us to know. David says he listened, and we can read and take hope from what David heard.

David heard God promise peace to His children, with a warning to stay away from folly, also known as sin. God loves us - He doesn't want us to live in fear. In fact, He can't really use us if we're trapped in a cycle of terror, because we'll be too scared to step out of our comfort zones and do His will.

So remember what God has spoken, and listen to what He's saying today. It will bring light to your world.