Behind Locked Doors Because of Fear
I’m so happy the Easter Story doesn’t end with the resurrection. There’s so much more! The next verse in John 20:19 says this: “That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.” They locked the door, they shut themselves off, they locked away the world. Out of fear. And what does Jesus do? He shows up in spite of locked doors and says “Peace be with you”! Can you imagine? “Here today and gone tomorrow. Gone yesterday, here today!” Abracadabra! He was there…..right there!
The disciples were hiding because they were afraid. Bless their hearts. I can’t blame them. The Lord had been crucified and maybe they were next. They didn’t grasp the words of Jesus that they had heard throughout the three years they were with Him. He said over and over “Do not fear!” “Do not be afraid!”
Today, you may have things that you are really afraid of — spiritually/ emotionally/physically. You may be really afraid. It’s okay. We’ve all felt that way; we’ve all been there. And what we want to do when we are afraid, is lock the doors. Don’t do it. Hear the words of Jesus – peace. He has this. He’s alive. He has overcome. We don’t have to be afraid. We don’t. Trust. Love. Laugh. Live. We don’t have to lock the doors of our hearts anymore. We can trust. We can. Today, and each day.
I read a precious mom’s FB post a couple of days ago. She is pregnant with triplets and while one baby appears to be healthy, he/she is being compromised by the other two who have major issues. That is reason enough to fear. But, I also read how she is choosing joy and peace in the midst of their crisis. And, like that young mom, we can’t protect ourselves from pain. But every day we can choose faith, joy, and peace over fear.
Suddenly Jesus was in the disciples’ presence. Fear must bow to the presence of God. When we invite Him into our circumstances, peace comes in with Him. Suddenly everything He said over and over again was true. The disciples had a history with Him and so do I. I survived many crises and I’m still standing. The faithful God of my past is my trustworthy and faithful God today. When I’m afraid, I need to welcome His presence into my room and my heart – turning on worship music, finding solace in prayer and fellowship with other faith-filled friends. Bottom line, I chase fear away with knowing that right in the middle of my “locked doors” is Jesus in the room with me and because He’s here, I know Romans 8:28 will be the end result! “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” Let’s unlock the door of our hearts today. We won’t give into fear. We welcome the sweet presence of Jesus in and we receive His peace!