7 God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled.
Reflection
This Lent we’ve been exploring the prayer of lament, and today we look at lament and surrender. Surrendering ourselves to God is not something we have a comfort level with doing. We want our will to reign supreme. But the prayer of lament is a journey that leads us to freely surrender to follow God fully. This process takes time. And when we
finally surrender to God, we may feel relief, but we may not feel good about it, because the road in front of us may still be long. Jesus experienced this when he prayed to have God remove the cup of suffering he would endure on the cross, but in spite of his fear, Jesus surrendered his will to God, for our sakes.
Having faith in God and loving God doesn’t take away the pain, the grief, or the fear and anxiety that we feel as humans. We’re not exempt from suffering. But having faith in God means that God is always with us. The real presence of God loves us and wraps us in grace as we journey through the process of lament until we surrender ourselves to God’s love and follow Jesus.
Timothy, to whom this letter was addressed, was a third generation Christian, who travelled with Paul. Both Timothy’s
grandmother, Lois, and mother, Eunice, who raised him, were women of deep faith. This verse describes growing into the life of following Jesus as a disciple. As disciples, God calls us to trust in God and to live and act as followers of Jesus. God equips us for this discipleship journey with spiritual gifts. This verse describes how we move from having a timid, fearful spirit unable to act, to being given a powerful, bold spirit. This is so we can act, enabled by the Holy Spirit, to do good works and to share the good news of Jesus with others.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
We’re equipped by God to act towards others with love, to care for and act on their behalf in the face of injustice, with no thought of gain. And the Holy Spirit gives us a spirit of self control, so we can can discern when to act and speak as Jesus’ disciples. While we may often feel timid when called upon to share the good news, as disciples of Jesus we are enabled to act with boldness, love and self control.
Are you feeling fearful and timid or powerful and loving as a disciple of Jesus? As disciples, we all will experience both timidity and boldness each time we are challenged to grow in our faith. Look for opportunities to come alongside those in need reassurance and care today.
Prayer: Holy and loving God, we want to follow Jesus. Equip us with your powerful Spirit, your unending love and self control to know when to act and speak. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Comments are closed.