The Security Of Love

The Security of Love

Perfect love expels all fear. 1 John 4:18

GOD IS LOVE, John wrote in his first epistle, assuring his readers they had nothing to fear in judgment because “love expels all fear.” It’s a wonderfully encouraging verse, but many of us apply it only to our eternal destiny at the end of the age. In reality, we fear smaller judgments throughout our lives of faith. It’s where some of our deepest worries, anxieties, and doubts come from. We think that if we’d been good enough or had enough faith, bad things wouldn’t be happening and we wouldn’t be going through the same intensity of trials and adversity. Our fears and doubts are rooted in the idea of having to go through something rather than around it—and that going through it won’t be as miraculous, redeeming, or fulfilling as avoiding it altogether. Of course, it makes little sense to apply God’s love to Judgment Day but not to the rest of our lives, as if our smaller, daily fears are reasonable. His love applies everywhere, in every situation throughout our entire lives.

What are we saying about God when we worry? We are accusing him of not being concerned for us, of not being on our side, of not having our best interests in mind, of possibly losing control of the world around us or at least not caring enough to orchestrate it. The subtle accusations are many, and we would hardly admit to them. But our worry is actually emotional slander against the God who has repeatedly promised that he has overcome the world, will deliver us from our troubles, and works all things together for our good. We are questioning how—and whether—his love works.

It can be extremely difficult to break that mental habit—our thought patterns run strong and deep—but we have to form new habits to think in Kingdom ways. We have to embrace hope, assume God’s kindness toward us regardless of what we see, and let his peace rule in our hearts. He tells us not to worry because he knows we have no reason to do so. He promised.

Be assured, if you walk with him and look to him and expect help from him, he will never fail you.