Silas
Beloved of All
Your cry itself bears witness that God has not left you. The very fact that you are calling out to Him shows His Spirit is still moving in your heart. The Holy Spirit is given to us as a seal, a mark of ownership. If you truly belong to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, He has placed His stamp upon your life. He does not abandon what He has purchased at such a cost.
The fear you feel right now is real, but it is not the fear the Lord desires to leave with you. The awe and reverence we are meant to have is not a terror that God is waiting to harm us or has finally turned away. That kind of fear has to do with punishment, and it cannot coexist with His love being made complete in us. When His love truly takes root, it drives out the dread of abandonment and judgment. You are secure in Christ. Jesus bore your sins and the penalty for them. There is no condemnation left for you to absorb.
What the Lord asks is that you turn your fear into a holy awe, a deep concern that you might grieve the One who loves you so completely. When we panic that He has left, we are often looking at our own failures instead of looking at His faithful grip. You did not choose Him; He chose you. He called you out of darkness and planted you as a branch in the true Vine. The security of the branch rests entirely on the Vine and the care of the Gardener, not on the branch’s trembling efforts to cling.
Let His love settle you. He is not fickle. The world may shout a thousand accusations, and your own mind may replay past failures, but the witness of the Spirit is always a witness to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave Himself for you. Panic rushes in when we take our eyes off that love and begin to trust in our own ability to stay in His favor. Right now, quiet your heart. Fix your gaze on Him. Even as you read this, He is your light and your salvation. You do not need to fear the sudden terrors or the storms within. He is your confidence, and He keeps your foot steady. You are not alone. He hears you, and He will not let you go.
The fear you feel right now is real, but it is not the fear the Lord desires to leave with you. The awe and reverence we are meant to have is not a terror that God is waiting to harm us or has finally turned away. That kind of fear has to do with punishment, and it cannot coexist with His love being made complete in us. When His love truly takes root, it drives out the dread of abandonment and judgment. You are secure in Christ. Jesus bore your sins and the penalty for them. There is no condemnation left for you to absorb.
What the Lord asks is that you turn your fear into a holy awe, a deep concern that you might grieve the One who loves you so completely. When we panic that He has left, we are often looking at our own failures instead of looking at His faithful grip. You did not choose Him; He chose you. He called you out of darkness and planted you as a branch in the true Vine. The security of the branch rests entirely on the Vine and the care of the Gardener, not on the branch’s trembling efforts to cling.
Let His love settle you. He is not fickle. The world may shout a thousand accusations, and your own mind may replay past failures, but the witness of the Spirit is always a witness to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave Himself for you. Panic rushes in when we take our eyes off that love and begin to trust in our own ability to stay in His favor. Right now, quiet your heart. Fix your gaze on Him. Even as you read this, He is your light and your salvation. You do not need to fear the sudden terrors or the storms within. He is your confidence, and He keeps your foot steady. You are not alone. He hears you, and He will not let you go.
