It should temper our passions, cause us to be wary of too much self-righteousness. This doubt should not push us away our faith. And those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own. It’s beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us. The ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. In his speech, he reflected on how faith should humble us: When He Talked About Doubt and Humility at Notre DameĮarly in his presidency, Obama gave the commencement address and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He gives us the courage to go against the conventional wisdom and stand up for what’s right even when it’s not popular-to stand up not just to our enemies, but sometimes stand up to our friends. He gives us the courage to reach out to others across that divide rather than push people away. His love gives us the power to resist fear’s temptations. God gives believers the power, the love, the sound mind required to conquer any fear, and what more important moment for that faith than right now? … What better time than these changing tumultuous times to have Jesus standing beside us, steadying our minds, cleansing our hearts, pointing us towards what matters. It is a primal emotion–fear–one that we all experience, and it can be contagious, spreading through societies, and through nations, and if we let it consume us, the consequences of that fear can be worse than any outward threat.įor me, and I know for so many of you, faith is the great cure for fear. Lately, I’ve been thinking and praying on verse from 2 Timothy, ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind’ … “Fear can feed our most selfish impulses and erode the bonds of community. While acknowledging global violence, economic hardships and environmental concerns, he said that “Jesus is a good cure for fear.”: When He Said Jesus Calls Us to Reject FearĪt this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, Obama essentially preach a sermon on fear-and why the Bible calls us to reject it. Because of Him, our hope is not misplaced, and we don’t have to be afraid.Īnd as Christians have said through the years, “We are Easter people, and Alleluia is our song!” We are Easter people, people of hope and not fear. Scripture tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Because of God’s love, we can proclaim “Christ is risen!” Because of God’s love, we have been given this gift of salvation. The president said the sacrifice of Jesus, culminating in Easter, is the very reason people need not fear. They can tempt us to cast out the stranger, strike out against those who don’t look like us or pray exactly as we do,” he said. “These attacks can foment fear and division. He directly referenced the recent ISIS attacks in Brussels, Belgium. When He Talked About the Hope and Courage Easter RepresentsĪt this year’s Easter prayer breakfast at the White House, Obama’s opening talk sounded almost like a sermon.
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