“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength.”- Deuteronomy 6:4-5
“It’s not what’s on the other side of the door that gives me confidence to go through; it’s the one who goes with me.”- John Ortberg
In today’s blog, John Ortberg presents the third reason we’re tempted to give up searching for the door when the wall seems insurmountable (Chapter 10, All the Places to Go).
3. The world is not safe enough. Pastor Ortberg notes that we avoid open doors when we’re afraid. Yet, the most important words in Israel’s life, the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) were door words. The Israelites were to write the Shema on the doorposts of their houses and on their gates as a reminder that God was watching over them at all times. John connects this reminder to what is most significant about open doors:
“What we want most is not what lies behind the door. What we want most is the one who opens it. Always, when we go through the opened door, we go with him. He meets human beings at the threshold. The magic of the open door is not the new circumstances or job or location or accomplishment. It’s actually being with him that turns where we are into Wonderland.”
As we walk with Jesus through the open door, we are “more than conquerors.”
Today’s question: What are your favorite Bible passages for overcoming fear? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Just enough clarity”
