#FEARLESS365 is a yearlong study of God’s commandment to us to live without fear. For 365 days, we will focus on one scripture and volunteers from all over the world will share their personal thoughts and what God has shared with them on the specific verse. For more info… go here.

In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not be afraid, O Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.

“The LORD your God is in your midst,
         A victorious warrior.
         He will exult over you with joy,
         He will be quiet in His love,
         He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Zephaniah 3:16-17

How easy it is for me to say, “Well, I can’t do that because . . .” The reasons why can vary, from money to health, and from courage to time, but the underlying cause is usually that I fear I don’t have enough to accomplish a task, that I am not good enough, that I myself am not enough. And yet, when I look at these Bible verses, I am struck by the powerful promises of strength and joy being revealed.

God is not merely promising that I, as his beloved child, am enough – and that you, as his beloved child, are enough. Oh, no! His promises are much more immense. As one created by the almighty God, we are completely and utterly equipped to take on anything that fulfills the purpose of his intentions.

As God looks at each of us, he is not saying, “Well, I guess he or she is . . . adequate.” No. Instead, he is rejoicing, he is exulting, he is singing a love song to you and to me in a loud and glorious voice. It’s impossible to truly envision what God’s singing would sound like but, as a start, it’s certainly far more potent than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir backed up by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Can you just imagine how the Earth would shake, rattle and roll? Can you imagine, too, if he whispered, “Sing along with me, my child. Sing along.”

As an introvert, I might eventually find myself becoming overwhelmed by all of this loud rejoicing – and, in these verses, God honors that need for introversion, as well, as he also promises the quiet of his love. I picture sitting beside a brook, water burbling, the grass lush and the sky brilliant – oh, and is that a rainbow? Without having to do anything whatsoever to prove that I am enough, I could purely be, simply absorbing his all-encompassing love, his peace that passes all understanding, peace as powerful as exultation.

Kelly Boyer Sagert is a fulltime freelance writer who lives in Lorain, Ohio (30 miles west of Cleveland). She lived in a funeral home where her father worked when she was young and then they moved next door, wiring the phone and doorbell to the house so her father could know when to answer the phone or door in off hours.