Fear Transformed

AM Psalm 55 • PM Psalm 74
Lam. 2:1-9 • 2 Cor. 1:23-2:11 • Mark 12:1-11

In Psalm 55 we pray,

“My heart is in anguish within me,
The terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
And horror overwhelms me.”

As I listened to the news last week, President Trump in one of his Corona Virus Taskforce Briefings answered questions from the reporters in the audience. One reporter asked, “What do you have to say to people who are afraid?” The President responded angrily and berated the reporter for even mentioning the word “Fear.” It seemed that he was afraid of fear itself and the panic it might unleash if it were even mentioned.

Over the past few years I have acquired the habit of praying the Psalms daily as part of Morning and Evening Prayer. Through this experience I’ve learned to appreciate the way the Psalms help us give voice to emotions and feelings we would rather ignore or leave buried deep within. Being the amateur psychologist that I am, I know what happens when we ignore or repress feelings that seem dangerous, fearful, or shameful. This is the surest way to give them power over our lives in unexpected and often subconscious ways that can be very harmful.

Psalm 55 invites us not to ignore our fear, but to bring it into our prayers and even into our worship. The Psalms give us a deep and meaningful way to bring our fear into relationship with God and one another, where it is given perspective, where it might speak it’s truth, but most importantly, where our fear might be transformed by God into a desire to love bravely.

Written by Trent Palmer

Trent is a member of the Vestry, worships online at the 8:45 service (as do we all), helps out as needed with Morning and Evening Prayer, co-mentors the EfM class, helps with Community Meals on Mondays, and is doing long neglected chores around his house.