The Hammer that Breaks the Rock
Devo #12
Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
Jeremiah 23:29
I know that upon reading this verse, your first thought might not immediately jump to fear, but walk with me on this one.
I write this devotional today as a girl who has spent many, many years of her life rooted in fear. On any given day you can often find me anxiously gnawing my thumbs or just generally cowering in fear. Phone calls can make my heartbeat flutter like a hummingbird, and some social interactions literally make me physically ill. I really wish I was exaggerating. Anxiety has ruled my head and my heart more days than I can count. More than anything, it’s the biggest burden I try to hand off to Jesus every single morning and evening. Lord, give me courage. Lord, give me strength… these are the prayers often on my lips and on my mind. But soon after I submit these prayers and worries to God, my mind often creeps back to the “bad place.”
But when I read verses like this one, it brings me back: I remember God’s power!
God can create an entire universe with the breath of a word. The entire Old Testament is the story of God building (and breaking down) whole armies… whole societies. If we allow ourselves to fully trust in him, we can be forged in his fire and become stronger than we could even imagine. With a God such as this walking with us, how can we fear?
And the best thing is that I fully believe we can become this strong through God in spite of the fear. Because the human fears won’t go away. If they do, they’ll be replaced with new worries. But being forged in God’s strength is knowing and trusting that even in the face of those fears, you’ll turn to God anyway. It’s faith in the fact that fear won’t have the last word, God will… and he’ll bring the hammer down!