𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 (𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯) 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘎𝘖𝘋’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘓𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘋𝘦𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘩’𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦, “𝘚𝘜𝘙𝘙𝘌𝘕𝘋𝘌𝘙: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘎𝘖𝘋 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘴” (𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟹, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟻).

𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.

2025 SURRENDER SERIES (no.5)

Facing Our Fears: Finding Him Faithful

With my passport and boarding pass still in my hand, I sank into my assigned seat on the jet that would carry us home from a whirlwind trip to Europe.  My heart struggled to catch up, “did we really just leave our son in a foreign country?”  

Mama-bear thoughts crowded my mind.  I felt my pulse quicken and an old, familiar reality rush through my veins: a mother’s instinct to protect my child mixed with limitations staring me in the face.  Would I be consumed with anxious thoughts, fear and worry, or would I choose to trust GOD with his story?

One clear truth settled my mind and washed peace over my soul: we were confident it was the LORD’s doing (alone!) that brought us and our son to this foreign land!  

Just weeks ago, I sat at our kitchen table with new friends, a missionary family traveling through our area who simply needed a place to stay for the night.  We were happy to host them and to learn about their journey, following in the apostle Paul’s footsteps, living and working in Illyricum, modern-day Albania, to share the good news of salvation through CHRIST, for the past 30 years.

One conversation over breakfast led to an exciting and unexpected offer for our son, a computer science student looking for a summer internship, to join them in Albania for 10 weeks to create, test, and trouble-shoot programming for their radio ministry.   Just one month later, to the day, we were on our way across the ocean to a place we had barely heard of just weeks prior.  

Only GOD could have orchestrated this plan, every exact detail falling into place at just the right time, to grant our son the priceless opportunity to gain practical experience in his field while also living with a family who has given their adult lives to serving the LORD in the spread of the gospel in a foreign country.

We found ourselves in a place of humble awe and gratefulness.  We never saw this coming.  We never could have imagined such a turn of events or our son’s eagerness to accept such an invitation!  

But I still battled fear.  At every turn, it has been unspeakably comforting to meet those nagging fears with truth:  this is the LORD’s doing and it is marvelous to see!  

There is no safer place for our son than right in the middle of GOD’s perfect plan for him!  Whatever story is about to unfold is exactly what He has orchestrated and we are simply given the privilege of watching with expectancy to see what He will accomplish in and through our son in the weeks to come!

.   .   .

At the beginning of this surrender study, we admitted a somewhat perplexing truth: as redeemed daughters of the King, it doesn’t take much to convince us that we want to surrender only to Him, His plans, His way!  We know His best is truly best.  We simply find ourselves struggling to find a free path to that surrender.

This fifth lesson addressed one of the key roadblocks to full surrender to GOD, one that became so real to me in recent weeks: FEAR.

Recently, I spoke with a young mom, expecting the arrival of her first baby.  She confessed that she, too, is really struggling with fear, especially with the rise of certain viruses again in our area.  “I was never afraid of contacting one of those viruses myself, or even that my husband might get sick,” she said, “but now, carrying this baby for 7 months, I feel an involuntary surge of concern and a paralyzing fear that I am incapable of keeping her safe!”

The dictionary tells us that fear is an unpleasant emotion (that is putting it mildly!) caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or loss.  Alarm, panic, distress, anxiety, uneasiness, and worry all capture the gripping sense that all is not well and we feel vulnerable to some type of threat beyond our control.

Despite mounting evidence that the absolutely safest place we can ever be is in the hands of Almighty, trustworthy GOD, who loves us more deeply and cares for us more abundantly than we can think or imagine, we still battle fear of surrendering fully to His plans and purposes for our lives.     

In our lesson, Nancy Wolgemuth outlined four key battle areas of trust (pp 104-105):

PROVISION – “if I relinquish complete control to GOD, will my needs be met?”

PLEASURE – “if I relinquish complete control to GOD, will I like what He chooses for me?”

PROTECTION – “if I relinquish complete control to GOD, will I feel safe?”

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS – “if I relinquish complete control to GOD, how will His plans for me impact treasured personal relationships in my life?”

We readily agreed that the One who created each one of us and knows us more intimately than anyone, the One who operates from a place of love and wisdom beyond our comprehension, can be trusted to orchestrate what is truly best for us in every one of these categories.  But, somehow, fear still creeps in.

The unknowns haunt us.  “What if?” and “What about?”  We subconsciously gather facts that fuel our fears, appropriately described as “False Evidence Appearing Real.”  We quickly forget the reality of the One in whom we trust!  What truth about GOD steadies us when doubts and anxious thoughts arise?

In His Word, GOD tells us 365 times, “do not fear.”  The repetition reassures us that He understands our hearts well enough to know that fear will come.  But He also gives us every reason to replace those fears with the unshakable truth of His promises:

“Let not your hearts be troubled.  You believe in GOD, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1)

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you.  He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

With GOD is the safest place to be.  He promises to never leave us.  He is always with us.  This one fact settles any fear and reminds us that He will faithfully lead us through whatever comes.  

.   .   .

With GOD is the safest place to be.  Yet, our faith is often tested.  As detailed in this lesson, and demonstrated through the life of Abraham, each of us has experienced “going not knowing” or “waiting not receiving” or both.  

We like to be prepared, mentally and otherwise.  Marching boldly into the unknown is unnerving to us.  Waiting is also painfully difficult.  It is a different kind of not knowing – in this case, the unknown amount of time we might be asked to watch and wait and renew our confidence that what we boldly expect will happen in GOD’s perfect time.  We trust Him; it is just not easy to believe His promises will still be fulfilled when the clock ticks and weeks disappear with not one shred of evidence that GOD is indeed at work.

This is sacred ground, the hallowed place where courage is birthed and faith grows, when against all visible evidence or logic, we say with Job, “yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).  Why?  “Because He who promised is faithful!” (Hebrews 10:23).

When we personally experience His nearness and His unmistakable provision of strength or peace, even when our circumstances do not change, the reality of Who GOD is settles into the core of our being.  No one can tell us otherwise.  Because we have lived it!  We come to understand His heart, His character, and His exact and eternal purposes in ways that grow our confidence and place our feet on solid ground.

“These trials will show that your faith is genuine.  It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.  So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when JESUS CHRIST is revealed to the whole world.” (1 Peter 1:7, NLT) 

Because we are so prone to forget the reality of the One in whom we trust, we need to keep these truths in front of our eyes!  We need to hide GOD’s Word deep in our hearts.  We need to rehearse these eternally unchanging facts to ourselves and to each other, to replace false evidence appearing real with truth that will never fail us.

As one of our group members shared, she regularly prays, “may He get in my head before I do!”

.   .   .

With GOD is the safest place to be.  Nancy Wolgemuth reminded us this was not always our position (p 187), “The word Hebrew means “stranger” or “alien.”  In what sense is every child of GOD a “Hebrew”?”

Our little group shared a few different thoughts in response to this question:

We were strangers to GOD who have now been drawn close to Him!

“Remember that you were at that time separated from CHRIST, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without GOD in the world.  But now in CHRIST JESUS you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of CHRIST.”  (Ephesians 2:12-13, ESV)

Now, we are called to be strangers in the world we live in:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of GOD, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to GOD, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of GOD, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2) 

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims [resident aliens and strangers and exiles], to hold back from the fleshly desires that wage war against your true lives.” (1 Peter 2:11)

With GOD is the safest place to be – “on the same page” with Him, walking in step with Him, our hearts beating in rhythm with His, choosing His ways over the ways of the world around us or the impulse of our own hearts.

What happens when we fail to fully surrender, stubbornly grasping “ownership” of certain areas of our lives?  Nancy Wolgemuth suggested we have a choice to make (p 187):

“Trust or tyranny.  That is the option.  Trust the promises of GOD – which will free you to live joyfully under His loving Lordship – or live under the tyranny of that which you will not surrender.”

We shared our experiences around the table.  Each of us, in varying degrees, has wrestled with yielding full control.  At one time or another, each of us has been held captive by passions or desires that became barriers to a wholehearted relationship with the LORD.  We concurred that the sad result is a life of chasing and coming up empty, feeding an unproductive, pointless pursuit, leaving us always hungry, never filled, weary and defeated.

What is the beautiful alternative?  He whispers to our hearts, “are you willing to trust Me?”

“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

Our GOD knows better than we do what our hearts truly long for.  The One who created our hearts is the only One who is truly capable of satisfying them.  He will not only meet the needs of our hearts, He will change our desires to match His, so we will genuinely desire only His will, not our own.  

Our Savior provided the perfect example for us.  Anticipating what fulfilling the Father’s plan of redemption would cost Him, the LORD JESUS faced the deepest form of agony:

“My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. … My Father!  If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me.  Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine. … If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” (Matthew 26:38-39, 42)

Despite anguish and grief, the Son’s greatest delight was obedience to the Father:

“Look, I have come.  As it is written about Me in the Scriptures: I take joy in doing Your will, My GOD, for Your instructions are written on My heart.”  (Psalm 40:7-8, Hebrews 10:5-7) 

In this lesson, we took an honest look at our fears – about provision, protection, pleasure, and earthly relationships.  Where would we be if our Savior had given thought or priority to any one of these concerns over GOD’s plan?

This one question shifts everything into perspective!  With GOD, in tune with the Father, is the safest place to be.  It is!  His purposes are exact and eternal and have our very best in mind at every turn.  They do!

We may not be spared physical difficulty or harm, we may not be granted every earthly want or “need,” we may live through harsh conditions that are far from pleasurable, and our earthly relationships may suffer or fail … BUT He will never leave us!  

Seeing His plans fulfilled will bring us the greatest thrill.  The truest joys we will ever experience will happen near His side, witnessing His redeeming love and unchanging truth.  With Him, in tune with His heart, in step with His Spirit, is the richest relationship we could ever hope to embrace.  Yes, regardless of visible evidence or human logic, with GOD is the safest place to be!

Nancy Wolgemuth closed this lesson with a touching “Grace Note” (p 188):

“Our loving GOD is not unmindful of our fears, tests, and trials.  The loving reassurance He extended to Abram echoes throughout time to us today, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward’ (Genesis 15:1).  Whatever we surrender is more than matched by the exceedingly great reward of knowing GOD!”

Whatever we face that rises fear in our hearts holds the wealth of potential in knowing Him more dearly as He meets us in the thick of it!  

I have no idea if our son is facing his own fears, following the LORD’s leading to live and work with a missionary family in a foreign country for the summer (or anticipating his journey home through foreign airports on his own).  But, as his mom, I would never want to deny him the chance to meet the LORD in those struggles and come to know Him in a deeper, more personal way.  

May he gain new appreciation for the truth I hold dear: the LORD is with me always and He will lead me through whatever comes.  There is no need to fear when He is near!

“𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐒”
𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞 𝐁. 𝐏𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝟏𝟖𝟔𝟏-𝟏𝟗𝟐𝟏

𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰;
𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸;
𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦,
𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥.

𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦;
𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘮𝘦, 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯;
𝘛𝘩𝘰’ 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴;
𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦.

𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘢;
𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦;
𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺,
𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺.

𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱,
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬’𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱;
𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮,
𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦.

. . .

[Our little study group is now on summer break.  I look forward to continuing this SURRENDER SERIES in September 2025, LORD willing.]