Psalm 86 - "Fearless"

Oh my...God is so overwhelming at times. I don't even know how to explain how I am feeling this morning. First, at 3AM, again at 5AM and then when I got up at 6:15AM He had "Fearless" going through my mind. At the 5AM wakeup time He told me to read Psalm 86. I asked if I needed to get up then to read it or if I could sleep a bit longer and He let me go back to sleep. When I finally got up and read it, I felt so loved. The words going through my mind to the song are:

I wanna be fearless
No holding back
No backing down
Fearless
Because I believe You're with me now
Bring on the unknown
Lead me and I'll go
Come set me free
God, I want to be
Fearless (I want to be)
Fearless (I want to be)

Wow! As I read the Psalm this song goes with it so well. Nothing should surprise me from God but sometimes He still does! This Psalm is about how mighty His love is for us. His love is greater than anything the enemy puts before us. It is greater than anything that comes our way. His love is so powerful that it enables us to get through the mountains and valleys of life with His peace. His love, mercy, grace, and truth is what we can stand upon to have victory over sin. David was a blatant sinner at different times yet God never left him. We need to remember He will never leave us. We also need to remember it only takes one word from God for things to change. When we feel like the mountain in front of us is too big to climb, all we have to do is rely on His strength to accomplish it. Or perhaps the mountain will be moved if we pray, ask, and believe it can be. No matter what, we need to have a constant belief trusting Him through all of life. Our faith needs to go deeper as situations call upon us. Our reliance upon God must be great if we expect for Him to use us as His servant. I love these words in this song...

In Your name
In Your strength
I'm more than a conqueror

Yes! "I'm more than a conqueror" holds great meaning to me. I've conquered some pretty tough things in life but none were done on my own strength. God was with me and continues to be. He enabled me to be a survivor of childhood incest, MS, breast cancer...those are some pretty big things yet He empowered me to fight through them and come out on His side. "Fearless." That word has deep meaning. The dictionary says it means to be bold and brave. There is no way to have those two qualities effectively without God being the Lord of Lords and King of Kings of your life. There are people in this world with those qualities but they are just that, worldly qualities. To have true, genuine boldness and to be truly brave one must have God as the One in charge of every aspect of their life. The first four verses of Psalm 86 show how to have joy in the Lord...

1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
    for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
    save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; have mercy on me, Lord,
    for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
    for I put my trust in you. (NIV)

It takes having communication with Him. That does not mean praying just at meal and bedtime. It means talking with Him all day long. I was saddened when teaching the children the other night about Daniel and the lions den. When I asked how many times they pray a day, some do not even pray at mealtime. What kind of an example are we giving to our children if we don't even take the time to thank Him for our food before we eat? What about bedtime prayer? I miss the days of the boys being home for bedtime. Everyone shared how their day went and a prayer request. In the midst of busyness of life, this was a time we all came together. I miss that so much but am grateful in seeing how my boys are raising their children to love and respect God. Our little Miss Evelyn knows the depth of prayer. She and her cousin started going around the church on Sunday asking people how they could pray for them. She was only nine when she started her own prayer ministry. I can be assured she will be blessed as verse four says, "Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you." That is a blessing to this Grandma. 

Another part of this song that speaks volumes to me is...

But I wasn't given the spirit of fear
I was given the power of love
Everything I've been fighting against
I'm gonna lift it up

This reminds me of two things. One is the verse God gave me for Doc and I on our last anniversary to hold onto for the coming year. II Timothy 1:7, "God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid. He gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-control" (my paraphrase). The second reminder is that I need to pray for all the 'junk' that comes my way. I am not in this fight alone. His strength is my strength. He will empower me to be who He desires me to be. He will empower me to go where He wants me to go. He will empower me to stand up against the enemies of life. Plain and simple. He will empower me and when He does I will be filled with His joy.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You seems so inadequate on how I feel this morning about You. I praise Your holy name for the way You use Scripture and songs to bless me. Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me. May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day. May You be my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual strength in a different, new way today. Father, I pray the same for many who are going through issues in life. Disease, illness, family conflict, the list goes on and on as to what people are dealing with. I pray they will realize Your empowerment that is available for them to stand in Your strength. I pray Your joy over them. Most of all I pray they are in relationship with You so they can realize Your joy. Thank You Jesus for being being The One to Empower Me. Amen.