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In this audio talk, Ed Welch argues that fear is a prediction that things will go bad. The end of God’s story is one of peace and joy. Jesus’s last words on earth were “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” he promises His very presence with fearful, needy people. Welch maintains that the deepest desire of the human heart is to have someone present with us in our fears. When the Lord speaks to us, there is no such thing as a passive verb – He is on the move and is doing something in the midst of our fears. God reserves His most wonderful words to people who are frightened, anxious, and worried. Welch asks, “What is your kingdom duty now?” The duty in front of each of us in the here and now is to hear and take to heart what God says to fearful people. When we hold on to anxieties, it is a strange form of pride: that we can control those things that matter most – humility is a trait we seek to grow in even in the midst of our fears.
Key Scriptures: Exodus 33; Psalm 118; John 14; Philippians 4; 2 Thessalonians 3:16