Fear and Fiat

I awoke with a jolt, long before my alarm. Groaning, I willed sleep to return, but it was futile; my mind had sprung to life, teeming with countless worries surrounding a stressful situation. God had lavished so much hope and peace upon me in the months prior, but the consolation faded as reality loomed.

The enemy had quietly planted a desire—no, a demand—for a guarantee.

Just give me some word or sign that it’ll be okay, God. That’s all I need.

But I realized all the encouragement in the world would be useless if I kept inviting the enemy in—allowing him to crowd out my hope and convince me that God owed me signs rather my owing Him trust.

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

As quickly as the demand entered my mind, a whisper of truth countered it:

I don’t need another sign I can easily ignore. I need Jesus.

All-powerful, Sovereign God. Emmanuel. God with us. God with me personally. As soon as I acknowledged His holy presence in my heart, the instant the name of Jesus echoed through me, something shifted. Peace flooded the space fear had invaded.

It occurred to me that this same acknowledgement of Christ’s indwelling, this same surrender to God’s power over fear, was the heart of our Blessed Mother’s fiat at the Annunciation.

This is the root of every little fiat: consciously inviting Christ to dwell with us in the midst of fear—so that He may carry us forward despite it, into the confidence of God’s will.

It’s an affirmation of the truth that all we really need—Christ indwelling—is right here in our hearts.

Each brave “yes”—whether offered in joyful confidence or in the silent struggle of a dark night—unleashes God’s loving power to change the world for good. With every fiat, we not only silence the enemy and put fear to death, but imitate the most beautiful role model in the universe: conceiving Christ in our hearts and bearing Him to the world through our souls.

I don’t need another sign I can easily ignore. I need Jesus. // @PosImperfectClick to tweet

Acknowledge Christ dwelling in your heart, and ponder what fear He desires to help you overcome to embolden your own fiat, your "yes" to His will.

Megan Hjelmstad is a wife and mom 24/7 and an Army Reservist in her “spare” time. She’s a bibliophile, tea drinker, sleep lover, and avid admirer of Colorado’s great outdoors. When the writing bug hits, you can find out more about her here.