"Scared"

What are you really scared of?

The cowboy said to me,

As he held the colt in place,

Expecting me to be,

The first to climb aboard him,

And try to tame him down,

Ride if he starts bucking,

And not fall to the ground.

I said I’m scared of falling,

He might just buck me off,

And if he does I’ll be ashamed,

That he threw me aloft

He said but if that happens,

What could be the worst,

If you’re bucked off and hit the ground,

Humbled in the dirt?

I guess if I was injured,

And broke a leg or two,

If that pony hurt me,

That would be bad, it’s true.

But if you got your leg broke,

Or something even more,

Even if it took some time,

You’d get well that’s the score.

But what if you got injured,

And didn’t really heal,

What if you got crippled,

What if that’s the deal?

Well now I’m even more scared,

Than what I was before,

Can’t stand the thought of crippled,

That scares me to the core.

But what if worse than crippled,

Happened here to you,

What if all your injuries,

Killed you dead it’s true.

And then you stood at judgment,

Before the King of kings,

And He gives you your sentence,

Eternal verdict brings.

Well, I am scared I’d go to hell,

And that’s my solemn oath,

And that’s when that old cowboy,

Got quiet with us both.

So what you’re really scared of,

Is not the horse at all,

Or if you cannot ride him,

And he bucks so you fall.

What you really need to settle,

Is your eternal destiny,

If you’re saved and ready,

Or wondering what will be.

But how can I be sure of it?

He still stood by the horse,

He said you need to say a prayer,

To Jesus Christ of course.

And that’s when I got it settled,

For once and once for all,

And I am no more frightened,

I heard the Master’s call.

What are you really scared of,

The cowboy said to me,

And now I ask that question,

To you right now, you see.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NLT)

Fear is real enough and not something to be taken lightly. Some of it is wired right into our DNA to protect us and help us move when danger threatens. The problem happens when fear dominates our thinking and steals our ability to live a happy, normal life. People who are panicky do irrational things, and the facts don’t outweigh their feelings. I see a lot of irrational fear connected to the current corona virus scare. I know we must take these things seriously, but emptying Walmart of toilet paper doesn’t seem very rational. But what of eternal issues? God sent His Son to deliver us from fear and replace it with His love. This means His Spirit can fully assure us, not only that we are eternally saved and secure, but also that He will take care of us in this life. Living by faith, not fear, is the best way to go. In Jesus’ name we can, therefore we should. Fear not.

Lord, deliver us from every fear, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.