Doing What Scares You
What is something that you think you need to do but you are scared?
Verse of the Day
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?””
Today’s Devotional
Today’s verse is from the book of Esther. The words in this verse are spoken by Mordecai, as he is encouraging Queen Esther (his niece) to go to the king and ask that the Jews not be killed.
Do you know what I love about this verse? The confidence that Mordecai has that God’s plan WILL be accomplished. No matter what. I pray that I would have that kind of confidence in God during scary times. Now, I don’t have an evil guy plotting to kill all of my people just because he doesn’t like my uncle. But…..there’s other scary stuff going on. Right? (Or is it just me?)
I also love Esther’s response, which appears a few verses later in verse 16. This is my paraphrase: “Ok, I’ll go talk to the king. If I die, I die.” That, my friends, is courageous. I don’t have to fear death if I instigate a conversation with my husband. Of course, he’s not a king, nor can he kill me if I displease him. But…Esther’s attitude is: “I’m going to do the only thing I can think of and try my best. This plan might fail. But it’s the only thing I know to try. And I am willing to try.”
Wherever you are right now, is it possible that you are in that position for such a time as this? Has God put you in your unique position in this world today for a purpose that scares you? Ummmm, at this point I am raising my hand. Where I am today scares me. I feel under qualified and stretched beyond my limits. I also don’t really know what the plan is. But God does. So every day that I go to work, or write this journal, I am doing the only thing I know to try. And sometimes I fail. Sometimes I get discouraged. But God’s plan, whatever that is, will prevail. Because, as something I read online today said, “When God called you to this purpose, He factored in your stupidity.” Whew! That makes me feel better.
All we can do today is try. We can be obedient to whatever we think we are supposed to do today. If we are wrong, I believe with my whole heart that God will redirect us. He wants our obedient action, not our perfection in determining what the action is supposed to be. As we seek discernment in what those obedient actions need to be, I would suggest that whatever scares us might be the things we need to be doing.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
In what areas do you struggle with obedience?
What about your current position or life situation scares you?
Ask God today for specific actions for you to obey just today.
What is something that you think you need to do but you are scared? How can you seek God’s strength in that area?