(Please click for background music as you read this message of H.I.M.)
Uncertainty, worry and anxiety all result in fear that many people face today. Whether it is due to fear of job loss, fear of failure, fear of financial ruin, fear of loneliness, fear of losing a loved one, fear of rejection, or fear of developing a major illness, like cancer, we will all experience some form of fear during our lifetime. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” For me, knowing how to face my fears during these past few months has been through much prayer, meditation and reading what God’s Word has to say about fear that has me given much inner peace and comfort. For some, fear can be so debilitating and have such a hold on their life that they rob themselves of not only today’s joy, but of God’s promises to help face their fears. We are never promised that we will not experience frightful moments or unexpected troubles in our lives that will not give us times of worry, anxiety or sleeplessness. However, God does give us many promises in His Word that can give us assurance that we do not have to go through these fearful times alone, if we put our faith and trust in Him. For it is only when we study God’s Word can we build our faith so that we are less fearful knowing we are under His wings when we abide with Him for “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection (Psalm 91:4 NLT).
It has been during the darkest moments in my life, like being diagnosed with cancer, when I have felt God’s assurance the most knowing that He is with me at all times. Rather than choosing to live in fear, I have chosen to live in faith knowing that God will give me the confidence that He will not only be with me, but will give me the strength and help me through my darkest hours. In Isaiah 41:10, I read, “Fear not, I am with you, be not afraid for I am your God, I will give you strength and will help you” and Isaiah 43:1-2, “Fear not, I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown."
Sometimes the storms in our lives can be so overwhelming that we do not think we will ever survive the turmoil we are in or that it will ever end. Yet, if we put our trust in God, He gives us the hope and assurance that we can endure these troubled times and that He will carry us through these unchartered waters, while He calms the wind and perilous waves in our lives just like He calmed the wind and sea for His disciples who found themselves in troubled waters when He said, “Peace be still, and the wind ceased and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39). For when God is in the boat of life with us, we have the assurance that He will not only get us to the other side of our troubled times, but He will always be with us. How comforting and reassuring it is to know God’s promise that He will “never leave me, or abandon me” when facing my fear so that I can confidently cling to Him and say “the Lord is my helper and I will not fear” (Hebrews 13:5-6). For I have learned, when fear comes knocking on my door, if I send faith to answer it, I will find there is no one there because I have put my trust in God!
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By looking fear in the
face,
it is not just the sense of God’s presence,
but the fact of
God’s presence
that gives me strength to persevere.
~ By Bonita ~
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