Liberation from fear, the spirit of God, and hope

I have been reading and meditating a lot these last few days on Paul’s letter to the Romans, Chapter 8. One of his main themes is how we are promised liberation from fear through receiving God’s spirit in our lives – so in verse 15, for example, Paul says: ‘You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear’. However, we can be fearful of so many things in our lives – from small anxieties to large dreads, and in the midst of these fears we can feel hopeless. This is why, later in the Chapter, Paul also speaks of us having hope in those things we cannot yet see. In verse 24: ‘For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already he has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.’

As I meditated further on these verses I began to see three things afresh. First, as I hope I also release my faith – a faith which trusts in the spirit of God living within me and so trusts that God is holding me now, and loves me now, regardless of what is happening in my life. Second, I can be thankful for this reality of God living in me and fellowshipping with me, as I anticipate God’s deeper blessings in my life when I submit and relinquish my fears and anxieties to him in prayer.Third, I can be still and restful in this place of blessing even though my circumstances appear otherwise – but as I wait with patience and expectation I can praise God who will deliver me always into peace and joy.

But, how exactly do I hope in these things even though I cannot see them? Because as a Christian I already know that God loves me so much that he was prepared to live my life (our lives) here on earth in Christ, and suffer and die for us on the cross – that is, to take our brokenness and fear upon himself so we may experience this new life and new spirit within us (also see 2 Corinthians 5:21). I also know that God’s love is all-powerful – as Christ rose from his own suffering and death and became himself something new, from which we can now follow his example, by accepting his love and liberation in our lives and so be utterly transformed (also see Romans 12:1-2). 

For details of my book, Nine Steps to Well-Being: A Spiritual Guide for Disconnected Christians and Other Questioning Journeyers go to my blog’s home page http://disconnectedchristians.blogspot.co.uk/ or to the publishers website ‘Whispering Tree Original Books’ where the first three chapters can be accessed FREE! http://www.whisperingtreeoriginalbooks.com/?page_id=40