News broke this past week about yet another variant of Covid-19… the virus that refuses to go away. However, the virus’s staying power has nothing on God.
Psalm 16:8-9 says, “I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.” (NLT)
Those of us who belong to God need not be shaken by news about the Omicron variant. Psalm 112:7 says, “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.”
At the end of every year, I ask God for a prayer focus for the coming year. I’m pretty sure I mentioned a prior year’s focus in a previous episode of this podcast, but it bears repeating in the light of recent news.
In December 2019, God led me differently than in previous years. Rather than directing to pray FOR something, he directed me to pray AGAINST something. Specifically, I was to pray against a spirit of fear. Fear is not from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
In December 2020, God renewed the call for me to pray against fear. God’s perfect love drives away fear, and I’ve been asking him to empower me by his love at work in and through me to change the atmosphere—to displace fear with hope and peace. Today is December 1st, and the atmosphere is being filled with Christmas carols announcing the arrival of the prince of peace, the hope of the world. I’ll soon be asking God to reveal my 2022 prayer focus, but I won’t stop praying for God’s love to set us free from the spirit of fear. Don’t be afraid of bad news, my friend. Instead, declare the truth of God’s powerful presence.
This week's scripture: Psalm 16:7-11
 
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