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“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8 (ESV)

I could hear the tremble in her sweet innocent voice as she echoed, “Middle school is really scary.”  Words which for this pre-teen were hard to give voice to and yet even harder to experience. Filled with anxiousness and apprehension over a new school, friends and the ever pressures of emerging into adolescence.

Out the corner of my eye, I glimpsed her frustration and anxiousness.  Fumbling through her purse, desperately searching while she intermittently looked hopelessly at her surroundings.  Others walked past this sweet lady who was totally perplexed and unsure what to do.  Filled with anxiousness and apprehension over the absence of her keys and the ever reminder of widowhood and living alone.

Fear and anxiousness isn’t regulated to a specific season of life  – as young girls or mature women, we all face moments of uncertainty which leave us feeling scared, desperate and close to tears.  And those fears feel real, paralyzing and overwhelming. Doesn’t matter what the circumstances are or the truth staring us in the face, fear can easily slide right in and push us into panic mode.

God’s word has over 437 references (depending on your translation) related to fear – healthy fear out of a reverence to God and unhealthy fear of our circumstances, people.  etc. All reminders to put our trust in our God rather than fear the unknown.

Sweet friends the next time we are faced with fear may we remember:

God is our provider (Genesis 26:24)
He is our deliverance (Joshua 10:8)
God will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8)
He will save us (Isaiah 35:4)
God is our ultimate helper (Isaiah 41:13)
He draws near to the fearful (Lamentations 3:57)
God has done great things (Joel 2:21)
We are valued by God (Matthew 10:31)
He is the bringer of great news (Luke 2:10)

Plenty of ammunition to extinguish the fiery aims of Satan who chooses to maximize fear for his own benefit. His attempt to alienate us from God is strategically targeted to leave us vulnerable, weak, and doubting the goodness of our God.  If  fear takes full reign then our focus will not be on the power and strength of our God; we will be paralyzed and ineffective to complete the work God has called us to.

Our world has given us lots of things to fear in the past year….and I’m sure it will continue.  But  we have a peace the world can’t imagine – we can place our hope in God and release our doubts and fears confident He is in control.  Sometimes that’s a daily moment by moment process…regardless we have an anchor – a solid rock One we can lean into and draw strength from.

“Father, when life seeks to drown us in fear may we remember Your words which empower and strengthen us to hold fast to what we believe – we are never alone.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life