His Name Is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXAzt4pUr3Y

O Holy Night ~ Carrie Underwood

For unto us a Child is born …
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

~ Isaiah 9:6 NKJV

Today was… different for each person I encountered. In a way, it reminded me of September 11, 2001, when everyone felt scattered, out of sorts, beside themselves, and gripped with fear.

The city where we live in Wisconsin is considerably smaller than where we used to live. In Florida, most places were typically a 30-45-minute drive… out of "season." Here, everything is "smaller." There's much more of a community feel, that stretches beyond the walls of your church. And I think that's why today was so… hard.

Word began to spread, about mid-morning, of a stabbing and shooting at one of the local high schools. The incident ended quickly, and students were evacuated off-site to be reunited with their families. But hours later, the fear – fear for friends and family members who attend and/or work at that school, fear of the unknown, and fear of could "our school" be next – was still overwhelmingly high.

On my way home from life group, I remembered a teaching about fear. My friend, Pastor Kim Anderson, wrote the book Live Not Die, in which she says that regardless of the battle before us, we must deal with the fear, first. What is the opposite of fear? Faith. And the opposite of anxiety? Peace.

Whether you are feeling shaken from a high school trauma, or the stress of bills, or any number of other anxieties the enemy would love to pour on you, it's time to stop the cycle of anxiety and tell the fear it must flee! Call upon the Name that is above all names, especially fear. His Name is, "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace," and He's waiting to comfort and to walk with you.

©Heather Potts 2019