here - The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
here - The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
here - The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
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Jesus. (Phil 4:6–7)<br />
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the<br />
LORD bestows favor and honor. (Ps 84:11a).<br />
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and<br />
God our Father, who loved us, and gave us eternal<br />
comfort and good hope through grace, comfort<br />
your hearts and establish them in every good<br />
work and word. (2 <strong>The</strong>ss 2:16)<br />
ENDNOTES<br />
1<br />
See Galatians 5:1–25 for Paul’s discussion of the inner<br />
battle between flesh and spirit.<br />
2<br />
Kevin DeYoung, <strong>The</strong> Good News We Almost Forgot:<br />
Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism<br />
(Chicago: Moody, 2010), 20.<br />
<strong>The</strong> sixteenth century Heidelberg Catechism begins<br />
with a word that is applicable to this struggle between<br />
anxiety and rest:<br />
Q1: What is your only comfort in life and in<br />
death?<br />
A: That I am not my own, but belong—body and<br />
soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior<br />
Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with<br />
His precious blood, and has set me free from the<br />
tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in<br />
such a way that not a hair can fall from my head<br />
without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact,<br />
all things must work together for my salvation.<br />
Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy<br />
Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me<br />
wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on<br />
to live for Him. 2<br />
When my husband shared that with me, I initially<br />
mocked him saying, “And that’s supposed to help?”<br />
However, I have found that these truths not only apply<br />
when facing motherhood and the potential anxieties<br />
that accompany it, but that they can also stand up<br />
against any anxiety we may have. When I know I am<br />
prone to anxiety, I can trust the Scripture will assure me<br />
that my comfort comes from Christ. When I wonder if<br />
I’ll be a good mother, the Spirit residing in me gives me<br />
strength to rest. When I fear that the baby I carry will<br />
die or be unhealthy, I think to this catechism and know<br />
that all things work together for my salvation. I knew<br />
then that these were the truths that I need to always<br />
cling to in moments of anxiety—to trust the Lord, and<br />
witness his victory in my rest.<br />
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