Articles & Devotionals
Fear
Wow, are you fearful today? It doesn’t take much to bring this up within us. Right now our city, our state, our nation, our world is in upheaval unlike most of us have ever known. Our routines are being disrupted, our way of life is changing in days, not years and the unknown seems to be at our doorstep. Yes I’ll admit it – I feel fear.
But what is fear? Dictionary.com defines fear as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined. Along with this distressing emotion can come a sense of helplessness and a lack of courage. Fear usually hits us when we are not in control and don’t know what is going to happen next. I think that describes the past several days for us and possibly the next several weeks. Is this what David felt when he was on the run from Saul, or Elisha’s servant when surrounded by the Syrian army (2Kg. 6:”15-20), or saints when Jerusalem was about to fall in 70 A.D.?
What are you fearful of the most? For some maybe it’s being in a room with a spider or standing on a cliff or watching a loved one die. Whatever brings fear up within you I don’t ask you to minimize it, but to consider it in a different light. What if God were with you in the room with the spider? What if He was holding your hand while on the cliff? What if He was right beside you in tears as your loved one died, but showed you what glory was instore for them? I think all of us would say that our fears would be greatly diminished or not even arise if God was with us. And there is the real point: God is with us.
1Peter 5:6-7 ESV
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, (7) casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Don’t miss what God is trying to tell us through the words of Peter. He understands that there will be times when this world and the events within it will get the better of us. The times that life seems uncertain and our anxieties will overwhelm us. In short, when the distressing emotion of fear has a death grip on us. In those moments what are we to do? Cast our anxieties, our fears, our worries onto God. Why? Because He cares for us and is right there beside us.
You see, dealing with fear is really changing our perspective. One author said to view your journey as an adventure that you share with God. Are you sharing your journey with God? I mean not just telling Him about it, but truly seeing that He is walking with you each step of the way. David did and saw a kingship. Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, did and saw God’s army around him. Saints in Jerusalem did and found deliverance before its destruction. Their adventures are there as our examples so that we can change our perspectives.
Leviticus 26:12 ESV
“And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”
Col 2:6-7 NASB
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, (7) having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”
Two questions to meditate upon as you go through today:
- When fear comes upon you what are you doing with that emotion? Dwelling on it or casting it upon Him?
- Today, are you sharing your journey with your Father? Have you reached out to hold His hand?
I will close with an excerpt from “Jesus Always” by Sarah Young.
“When the way just ahead of you seems too difficult, turn to Me and say: “I can’t, but we (You and I together) can.” Acknowledging your inability to handle things on your own is a healthy dose of reality. However, this is only one part of the equation, because a sense of inadequacy by itself can be immobilizing. The most important part of the equation is recognizing My abiding Presence with you and My desire to help you.
Pour out your heart to Me. Ask Me to carry your burdens and show you the way forward. Don’t waste energy worrying about things that are beyond your control. Instead, use that energy to connect with Me. Seek My Face continually. Be ready to follow wherever I lead, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go.
Dare to see your inadequacy as a door to My Presence. View your journey as an adventure that you share with Me. Remain in close communication with Me, enjoying My company as we journey together.
Read: Philippians 4:13 NKJV; Psalm 62:8; Psalm 105:4 NASB”
In God’s love,
Adam
