THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
“And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan”
2 Samuel 9:7 ESV
GOD IS KIND: WHEN WE ARE AFRAID
A salesman, driving on a lonely country road one dark and rainy night, had a flat tire. He opened the trunk but didn’t find a tire wrench. The light from a farmhouse could be seen dimly up the road. He set out on foot through the driving rain. Surely the farmer would have a tire wrench he could borrow, he thought. Of course, it was late at night and the farmer would be asleep in his warm, dry bed. Maybe he wouldn’t answer the door. And even if he did, he’d be angry at being awakened in the middle of the night. By now his shoes and clothing were soaked. Even if the farmer did answer his knock, he would probably shout something like, “What’s the big idea waking me up at this hour?” This thought made the salesman angry. What right did that farmer have to refuse him the loan of a tire wrench? After all, here he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, soaked to the skin. The farmer was a selfish clod, no doubt about that! The salesman finally reached the house and banged loudly on the door. A light went on inside, and a window opened above. A voice called out, “Who is it?” His face white with anger, the salesman called out, “You know darn well who it is. It’s me! And you can keep your blasted tire wrench. I wouldn’t borrow it now if you had the last one on earth!””
Sometimes our fears are unfounded and can even make situations worse. In the case of King David and Mephibosheth, there was no need for Mephibosheth to be afraid. When Mephibosheth appeared before David, I’m sure he expected the worse, “I’m going to be killed because Saul was my Grandfather.” However, David made a promise to Jonathan that He would show kindness to his family. Because David was a promise keeper, Mephibosheth had no need to fear.
Because God is a promise keeper we don’t have to be afraid. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” If we are in Christ, there is no need to fear future judgement. Theodor Geisel, probably better known to most of us as Dr. Seuss, in his book Horton Hatches an Egg, Horton the elephant utters these words: “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent.” Well, God is faithful one hundred percent.
What are your biggest fears right now? Do you believe God can handle those fears? Ask God to grow your faith in His ability to handle the things that scare you most.
