Fear 06: The Meditation Transcript
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Laura: Hey friends, Laura, here! I want to welcome you back to another episode of Risen Motherhood. This is a special episode. I want to take a few moments here to talk you through what to expect as the show comes on. As you guys know, we've been talking about fear. We've been doing a whole mini-series on it, and we've been talking about how there's one thing that you can do when you're afraid, and that's to rehearse God's Word and remind yourself of his promises. Our hope today is to make that a little bit easier for you.
What you're going to hear next is Emily. She's going to come on, and she is going to read scripture. It's a lot of passages that we have carefully selected for you guys, and she's going to read them all in a row. You're not going to hear the references on the show, but you will be able to find all of them in our show notes so you can follow along if you'd like. We've also released a transcript with this show so you can read all the words and the scripture references, or you can print it out and keep it somewhere safe. There are a lot of different options for how you can interact with the show.
Knowing that, our hope with this show today is that you're able to find a quiet spot, maybe you go on a walk or you have a longer drive ahead where you can listen, just some time where you can think about these verses, and you can meditate on them and really soak in them. Our hope is that this show is something that you can actually come back to, it's not something that's just “one and done” but instead, [at a later point] perhaps you can fast forward the first couple minutes of this show and just jump into the scripture when you are feeling afraid or you're feeling anxious, and you're not sure what to do with your fears, hopefully you can hit play on this show and listen in and, again, meditate on God's promises because these promises are for you. They're from God, and our hope is that this would be an encouragement and a blessing for you as you really practice all of the things that we've been talking about throughout the mini-series.
Emily: “You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you” (Isaiah 26:3).
“I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all harm. He will protect your life. The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever” (Psalm 121:1-8).
“I call to the Lord in distress. The Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place. The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me? The Lord is my helper; therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humanity. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in nobles” (Psalm 118:5-9).
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. So don't be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me, his prisoner. Instead, share in the suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:7-9).
“The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
“I am always with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward, You will take me up in glory. Who do I have in heaven but you? I desire nothing on earth but you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. As for me, God's presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all you do” (Psalm 73:23-26, 28).
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is a stronghold of my life; whom should I dread? When evildoers come against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident. I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple” (Psalm 27:1-4).
“Then he said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: They don't sow or reap; they don't have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than the birds? Can any of you add one moment to his lifespan by worrying? If then, you're not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest? Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don't labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that's how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you? You of little faith! Don't strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don't be anxious. For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all of these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Seek his kingdom and these things will be provided for you. Don't be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won't grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’” (Luke 12:22-34).
“For I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you. Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel, I will help you.’ This is the Lord's declaration. Your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 41:13-14).
“The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust: He himself will rescue you from the bird trap, from the destructive plague. He will cover you with his feathers; you will take refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day, the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon. Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you. You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord—my refuge, the Most High—your dwelling place, no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. For he will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all ways. They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent. Because he has his heart set on me, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he knows my name. When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him in the trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. I will satisfy him with a long life and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:1-16).
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and rescued me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and rescues them” (Psalm 34:4-7).
“Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God fights for you” (Deuteronomy 3:22).
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades’” (Revelation 1:17-18).
“Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” -(Philippians 4:6-7).
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:15-18).
“Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, and who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:24-28).
“What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all...For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31, 38-39).
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).