Time For God: May 4

Focus: 2 Timothy 1:7
The Canadian military Chaplain—known as the Padre—received a phone call one quiet afternoon. It motivated him to instant action. The caller said, I’m worried. She had every reason to be upset. She told the Padre exactly why she was so concerned.

She described how she had recently broken up with her fiancé. An injured military member, he was home from a war zone; he struggled in his medical recovery. Alone and depressed, he made a serious threat that day. As a member of a gun club, he safely stored his registered handgun at home. Now he told her how he was planning to use it. He wanted to end his life. The Padre called him; a visit would happen soon.

In record time the Padre completed the short car ride. Their conversation began with the needs and feelings of the military member. Gradually, genuine concern won over fear. The gun was handed to the Padre who inspected it; no bullet in the barrel.
In the next ninety minutes the member agreed to let the Padre look after the weapon—at least for the next few of weeks. The weapon was rendered safe, and broken down to its component parts. The Padre removed two thirds of it. The soldier kept the remainder; it was safe and unusable. The Padre carried away his bits and pieces. They formed an incomplete weapon; the Padre legally removed it.

A potential murder-suicide event ended safely on that day. Later, the Padre reported to his wife how his day had infolded. The strain appeared on his face; he suddenly felt his knees begin to buckle.

Fear protects us from disaster. It makes some flee from the dangers of poor choices. It motivates others to move towards danger trying to defuse a potential disaster.
From a Roman prison, the Apostle Paul warns Timothy against another kind of terror—cold fear that traps a heart within self-constructed prison walls of anxiety.

When have you built false limitations around yourself? When have you broken through them to achieve valuable and worthwhile goals? What helps you to build your faith in times of internal terror? How is God’s peace real to you?
God of Perfect Love, manifest Your promise to my heart—Your spirit of power, and love, and a sound mind. Holy Spirit so work in my life that I may I be a bringer of your peace to many. Shape me to become to others an un-anxious presence and companion. Grant that I may point another to the peace and presence of Jesus. Enable me to express the Saviour’s love joy, and peace to someone, today. Amen.
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