(14) From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, Jesus.
We don’t fear Your rebuke, Lord—not really.
We fear theirs.
People’s.
We fear the sudden criticism, the sharp email, the eye roll, the “We need to talk” message.
We fear being misjudged, misunderstood, publicly corrected, or quietly disapproved of.
We fear being called out before we get a chance to explain ourselves.
We fear being told we’re wrong when we were trying to do what’s right.
So we play it safe.
We shrink. We rehearse. We over-apologize.
We stop speaking boldly.
We stop stepping out.
We stop being us.
And the fear of rebuke becomes a trap—not because correction is bad, but because we’ve forgotten how to separate love-driven conviction from man-driven judgment.
Yes, Lord—we’ve deserved rebukes before.
We’ve made mistakes.
But sometimes the rebuke is harsher than the failure.
Sometimes the rebuke isn’t true at all.
And that’s where the fear lives:
In the unfair ones.
The ones that feel like condemnation instead of correction.
The ones that tell us not just “You did something wrong,” but “You are wrong.”
But You…
You never speak to us that way.
Even when You correct us, it’s never to shame.
You speak to our potential, not just our problem.
You don’t crush—You refine.
And You call us to respond with humility, even when it hurts.
Because when we stay soft in the face of a sharp rebuke,
when we take time to reflect instead of react,
when we pause and ask You to search us,
that’s where real transformation happens.
That’s when humility becomes our defense.
That’s when true strength rises.
That’s when the Holy Spirit whispers:
“If there’s truth in it—I’ll show you.
If there’s poison—I’ll protect you.
Either way, I’ll work it for your good.”
And we believe You, Lord.
Because You said it:
“In all things”—even rebuke—
“God works for the good of those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28)
So deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of rebuke that keeps us from growing.
From the fear of man that keeps us from speaking.
From the fear of correction that keeps us from correction.
Teach us how to live kindly—so that if rebuke ever comes, it meets a soft heart.
Teach us how to stand humbly—so even if it’s unjust, it doesn’t undo us.
Teach us how to reflect, repent, and rise.
Because we’d rather be corrected and transformed
then safe and stuck.
Amen
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