Instead of being afraid of the Lord is a portion of a quote I read in Susan Chamberlain Shipe’s book “40 Days of Lent,” and I’m pondering it with you today.
For Lent 2025, I’ll be writing new blog posts every day. I’m writing for only five unedited minutes on a quote of the day to deepen our faith in this Lenten season.
Day 18 of Lent 2025 – March 22
Susan Chamberlain Shipe is a dear friend of mine. Though we’ve never met in person, or even chatted on Zoom, I affectionately call her my “Auntie” because we’ve been in the blogging space together for 15+ years. She’s a prolific blogger and author of several self-published books, including one on gardening that I featured on THIS POST. Today, I’m focusing on a quote from Susan’s Lenten book.
Instead of Being Afraid of the Lord
Susan’s book talks about the people, places, and events of the Passion in a down-to-earth way. She starts the book with a common feeling many of us have toward God:
“How many of us were taught if you do such and such, God will punish you in a terrible way? We’ve learned to be terrified of God. That my friends, is the last thing God wants us to be. Here’s a fabulous exchange – from fear to faith. Instead of being afraid of the Lord, receive the measure of faith he gives and live in it.”
Her quote makes me think of 1 John 4:18 NIV:
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Lent is a time for personal reflection. It’s a time to examine the reasons why Jesus came to die for us, individually. Lent is when I look at sinful patterns in my life, confess them, and repent of them. If you are doing this during Lent, perhaps you are also afraid of God’s judgment.
Meditating on 1 John 4:18 helps overcome my fear of punishment from God. In the past three years, during the hardest times of suffering, I have asked that all-too-human question when trying to make sense of my pain: Is this punishment for something I did wrong? I questioned whether the worst decision of my life, living together before I was married, was coming back to haunt me 20+ years later.
When I brought this up with my counselor, he took me back to the broken, unhealed person I was when I got married out of desperation, guilt, and shame. He said, “Surely you can see how far you’ve come since that time. You’re not the same person.” My counselor reassured me of God’s forgiveness for my costly choices, and we talked about how God has a purpose for my pain now, though I still can’t discern it.
In this in-between time when my suffering still doesn’t make sense, I can meditate on God’s Word to hide his love in my heart. His perfect love will cast out any remaining fear I have, and give me hope that he will use my suffering for his glory someday.
Join me again tomorrow for another reflection on a different quote. I encourage you to share your thoughts about today’s quote in the comments below.
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