Don't be Afraid, God's Love is Stronger

Don't be afraid. My love is stronger, my love is stronger than your fear.
Don't be afraid. My love is stronger and I have promised,
promised to be always near.

I have used this John Bell, Graham Maule chorus in worship, sometimes within the Prayers of the People. It is an assurance that God is with us in the midst of the anxieties and fears which threaten to overwhelm us at times. As we all know, those worries can be relatively mundane, yet pernicious. We can also be threatened by catastrophic events, including illness and loss of personal security.

On Saturday hundreds of thousands marched through the streets of Barcelona shouting "I'm not afraid!" It was a powerful and defiant response to recent terrorist attacks which randomly killed 15 innocent people. Those who responded immediately to those attacks, including police, emergency workers, and ordinary citizens, led the march. They carried a banner reading "No Tinc Por" which translates as "I'm not afraid." For the first time ever, a Spanish monarch, King Felipe VI joined the demonstration.

As we look at world events it is tempting to feel overwhelmed. The effects of climate change, mass migration of the displaced, terrrorism an orange-haired president, can be scary. Yet God is near, calling us to courageous living in the midst of our challenges.

While you're here, check out my Groundling blog at the beginning of World Water Week.

http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/2017/08/water-week-living-water.html