False Fears of Mephibosheth 1-5-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My eyes are on You, Lord. ... Mephibosheth was the crippled grandson of Saul and the son of Jonathan. He must have been living in fear of his life after David became king of Israel in Saul's place. When David sent for him, he "fell on his face and did obeisance" trembling in fear before David, probably expecting the worst for himself and the worst from the king. But David's heart was one of mercy and grace, not wrath and revenge, saying, "Do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan; I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always" (2 Samuel 9:1-7). How many times do we fear the worst when You desire for us only Your best? How many times do we tremble in fear of what we think is going to happen or what we think someone thinks of us? We fear a reality that is not reality at all. Someone taught me long ago that "F-E-A-R" is "False Evidence Appearing Real." But Mephibosheth was not only crippled in his body, he was crippled in his spirit as well. Even in light of the mercy and kindness of the king, he would still bound by his wounded and distorted self-image. He responded to David, "What is your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?" (v. 9:8) But the king backed up his promise with his power, and honored him with favor, restoring and redeeming all that was lost. "Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the king's sons" (v. 9:11). Lord, deliver me from the oppression of fears that will never come to pass, that are based on assumptions of the experiences of the past, but are not founded upon Your promises of my future. Heal me from the wounds of rejection or shame that try to cripple my identity and my destiny. Give me the humility and the courage to receive the gift of Your grace and Your favor. You have not created me and called me to eat from the scraps under the table, but sit at the place You have prepared for me at Your table as a son of the King. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please join me in praising God for my alma mater -- the University of Texas Longhorns who won the National Championship of college football last night! I will be flying back to Texas today to see my family in Texas and New Mexico and to get away to work on a book on prayer ministry. I would appreciate your prayers. With the earlier time zones, my devotional will be coming out a little later for the next week and a half. Thank you and God bless! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching dvd's on healing and wholeness, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Our address is 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com