This world has enough trouble to make even the strongest person cower in fear. From the political unrest to the economic ebbs and flows that bring financial concerns to just about everyone – there is no rest for the weary. It seems that everywhere we turn there’s another reason for us to be afraid. Just click on the news and you’ll hear of another child abducted into trafficking rings, a senseless murder, arson takes a home and all its possessions from a family, a training accident goes horribly wrong and claims the lives of innocents, wild fires sweep through the country and devastate residents.
You name it and the fear is all around us! But even more than these fears are often fears that we can’t break out of the cycle of loss and hurt that we so often find ourselves in. We feel like slaves to this fear. We feel like we’ve been shackled to the pain and the hurt. We see the obstacles and they become all-consuming. We freeze and don’t know where to go next.
This morning’s song is powerful and amazing. It’s a reminder that God is ultimately in control. It’s a reminder that when God called you through the waters of baptism that you became someone different. You became someone of power and unlimited resources. When we were baptized into the body of Christ we received a new name. It’s a name that now identifies us before God. It’s a name of power and might. It’s a name of accomplished deeds and conquered foes. It’s a name that frees us and allows us to stand tall. Today you may be enslaved to things that need done for your home and work life, but know that in Christ you’ve been freed to live a life that is totally and remarkably without chains. You are free – no longer a slave to fear and pain. God has established you to be his child. He’s called you by his name. He’s adopted you into his family. You are his and his accomplishments and freedom are now yours.
Fear not, for in Christ you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
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