Fear.

It’s a nasty four letter word, and a feeling that trips me up.

It’s probably not surprising, given what’s going on in the world right now, I’ve been experiencing a lot of fear about the future. While the fear is rational, it’s not justified because of my faith in our Heavenly Father.

When I was a child, my sister or sisters and I usually stayed for several weeks with each of our grandparents during the long summer months. Sometimes the days seemed exceptionally long, especially since I didn’t have my toys or friends that kept me busy while I was at home. My mother’s mother said that one of the things I should do to counteract boredom is to memorize the 23rd Psalm. So, I did what any nine-year-old would do. I sat down and memorized it, even though I’d never heard of it before. Several times I had to ask my grandmother the meaning of some of the words and phrases. “Mama, where is the valley of death?” But this Psalm truly did teach me everything I needed to know about the relationship between God and believers.

There have been terrifying moments in my life when I’ve recited the 23rd Psalm out loud, hoping to find my faith and find fearlessness in the face of fear.

Psalm 23:

I have repeated this phrase numerous times, too many to count: “I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.”

Now I find myself in a position where I don’t fear my own death, but I do fear for the future of my family, children and grandchildren. As a result, I found myself wanting more reassurance from God, and I searched for Biblical references to ease my anxieties. I’m sharing some of these verses with you, in the hope you find them helpful in conquering your own fears.

This verse is particularly calming to my soul. It’s such a luxury that our faith allows us to place our troubles and cares on the altar of God’s love.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” ~ John 14:27

That reassurance brings a huge amount of joy and peace into my heart.

Here is another verse that speaks directly to my fears:

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” ~ Joshua 1:9

How can I worry or fear when I’m not the one in charge? Our Heavenly Father has it all in hand. He guides events as He intends. In my case, I have done everything within my own control to handle my situation. There’s nothing else left for me, a mere human, to do at this point. Now I have to let it go and as they say, “Let God.”

And really, at the base of my fears, it isn’t that what I want to happen will happen or not, it’s whether God’s will aligns with my own. And that’s a scary thought in and of itself. I am a mere human. I cannot foretell the future. I am not in charge. I don’t know what’s best for me, much less the entire world. I can only do what I am capable of doing, which of course includes prayer. But my will may NOT be done. Isn’t this at the very root of my own fear? Isn’t it at the very root of all evil?

What a humbling thought. My fear actually points out my conceit—my sin. Now I have a whole new set of fears about needing my faith to be stronger than my weaknesses. Thankfully, the Lord has provided direction, even in my sin:

“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” Isiah 43:1

Reading this verse brought me to happy tears because I know I belong to the LORD who created me. He will act in my best interests regardless of what I think I want. And for that, I am eternally grateful. He wants us to be happy because He loves us.

Here is a final verse I found in which I think you will experience joy and happiness too.

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:39-39

It’s amazing and a huge blessing how I find that reading the Lord’s word can change me from fearful to courageous, worried to happy, and anxious to joyful. I hope you found the journey I took in dealing with my fears helpful to you as well.

May the Lord bless you!