File

File

Minister’s Message: Hope is the remedy to our constant fears

Fear takes any number of guises

By Joshua Gorenflo

Everywhere we turn, there it is. We see it on the news. We overhear it as we stand in line at the grocery store. It sneaks into our conversations with friends. It rises with us each morning, sits next to us at the dinner table, and tucks us in each night.

Fear, our constant companion, running rampant like a child given an espresso and a puppy on Christmas morning.

Fear takes any number of guises — virus and vaccines, climate and country, president and predecessor — recognizable by its telltale puppeteering of our anger, envy, and disgust of “the other.” Relief seems to be found only in desperate measures: becoming numb through addictive behaviors, acquiescing to hate, or escaping into isolation. Or so fear would have us believe.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

There is, mercifully, another response to fear: hope. More accurately, practices of hope grounded in the presence of God with us.

Like in the Old Testament, where God frees the Israelites from enslavement under the Egyptians, leads them through the desert, and stands with them at the edge of the Jordan. As they look out across this powerful river, the boundary separating their present life of wandering from their promised future, all they can see is … fear.

They are going to face opposition. They are limited in their resources. They are still figuring out how to be a self-sufficient, self-governing people. They have no idea how this is all going to go.

Into this fear, God speaks: “I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

It isn’t the lack of trouble nor the Israelites’ own competence, not their wealth nor their certainty of the outcome that can provide solid ground for the future. Fear will always have the upper hand when these are the criteria of hope. Rather, God’s people are commanded to counter their fear with courage, to walk forward in hope because they are not alone. And because the One with them is mightier than any of fear’s most formidable guises.

It’s many thousands of years since these words were first spoken to the Israelites, yet here we stand on the brink of our own future, nothing but fear standing in our way. Thankfully, God’s promise is still relevant: He is with us wherever we go. And for that reason, we can practice hope together.

Practice hope by being present with those around us; noticing them, listening to them, serving them. Practice hope by being curious about what others think, rather than judgmental. Practice hope by searching for common ground among those with whom we disagree. Practice hope by seeing the day through the lenses of gratefulness and love. Practice hope in using our words to uplift rather than tear down.

The LORD is with us. Let us take courage in His presence. And let us keep hope as our constant companion.

Joshua Gorenflo and his wife, Kya, are ministers at Kenai Fellowship. Worship is 11 a.m. on Sundays, posted live on Facebook.

More in Life

These high-protein egg bites are filled with tomatoes, parsley and feta, but any omelet-appropriate toppings will do. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A little care for the caretakers

These high-protein egg bites are perfect for getting a busy teacher through the witching hour in late afternoon.

Dr. Thomas F. Sweeney was a dentist seeking adventure and riches. He also had some mistaken ideas about the difficulties that life in remote Alaska entailed. (Public photo from ancestry.com)
Mary Penney and her 1898 Alaska Adventure — Part 5

The three-masted ship called the Agate was a reliable 30-year ocean veteran when it entered Cook Inlet in mid-October 1898.

Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science students perform “Let’s Eat,” their fifth grade musical, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Healthy eating headlines elementary school musical

Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science stages “Let’s Eat” for its annual fifth grade musical.

Blueberries are photographed in Cooper Landing, Alaska, in August 2024. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Minister’s Message: A reminder that the earth provides

There is new life, even when we can’t see it.

The Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference is held at Kachemak Bay Campus starting on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference returns for 23rd year

This year’s keynote presenter is author Ruth Ozeki.

This salad mixes broccoli, carrots and pineapple chunks for a bright, sweet dish. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A bright and sweet Mother’s Day treat

Broccoli, pineapple and carrots are the heart of this flavorful salad.

file
Minister’s Message: Prudence prevents pain, and, possibly, fender benders

Parents carry the responsibility of passing down prudence and wisdom to their children.

This Library of Congress photo shows the U.S.S. Maine, which exploded and sank in the harbor at Havanna, Cuba, about the same time the Kings County Mining Company’s ship, the Agate left Brooklyn for Alaska. The Maine incident prompted the start of the Spanish-American War and complicated the mining company’s attempt to sail around Cape Horn.
Mary Penney and her 1898 Alaska adventure — Part 4

The Penney clan experienced a few weeks fraught with the possibility that Mary might never be returning home.

Students throw brightly hued powder into the air during a color run at Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science in Kenai, Alaska, on Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Color run paints students with kaleidoscope of hues

Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science on Saturday gathered parents and students… Continue reading

Most Read