Why I Should Not Skip Bible Study

Today was not my very best day and I considered just skipping Bible study tonight. I’ve been dealing with a medical issue – aggravating, irritating, stressful, and a little scary, but relatively minor in the great scheme of things. After yet another trip to the doctor, staying home was sounding pretty good. Missing one week wouldn’t really matter. I’ve been four weeks in a row, after all. And I have learned a lot so far in our study of Esther – that has to count for something. Surely, I had “earned” a night off. Well . . . apparently not. I went anyway. And am I ever glad that I did.

Tonight we learned that it’s tough being a woman in the tight fist of fear. No kidding. I do not like to be afraid. I don’t watch scary movies because I don’t want the stuff in my head that nightmares are made of. I don’t ride anything that turns me upside down because it makes me panic. I don’t wander around outside in the dark because my imagination is too good at creating spooky things. I don’t go outside and check things out when the dogs bark because I don’t want a face-to-face encounter with whatever is lurking out there. If it scares the dogs, it will probably scare me. Clearly, I avoid things that frighten me. Why? Because I do not like to be afraid. At all. But, sometimes – I am. And nothing empties my head of all the right things to do like fear. There is nothing quite like a good jolt of fear to make me forget every Bible Drill verse I ever learned about trusting in God. I know this. From experience.

Didn’t know this until tonight – the most common command in the Bible has nothing to do with loving your neighbor, obeying God, or following any rules. It is this – do not be afraid! That applies to all of us, even a scaredy-cat like me. Fear not. Take courage. That doesn’t mean that our situation is not fearful; it means that God gives us courage in His presence. So, if Queen Esther can adopt the “if I perish, then I perish” attitude, knowing that chances were greater that she would than that she wouldn’t, surely we can face other situations that aren’t life-and-death by relying on God and His promises. Our fear may be real, but so is our God!

And to think that I almost missed a wonderful night of Bible study that seemed designed just for me. I suspect there are others who, like me, felt like it was a lesson tailor-made just for them.