What Fear?

WHAT FEAR?

     God lovingly says to us, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you…” Isaiah 41:10.

       I chose this out-of-focus picture of my granddaughter because it gives the impression that she has heard a sound behind her and, with a twinge of fear and uncertainty in her face, she’s glancing back to see what caused that sound.

      How often in our day-to-day routine do we experience a twinge of fear when the sounds of life rumble behind us and we turn to see what sort of danger might be creeping up on us?

     How often do the “what ifs?” that circle around us cause us to go into full-blown fear mode?

     If we’re honest, we’ll probably admit, “Far too often!”

      Where does all this fear come from?  Well, the Bible makes it clear where it doesn’t come from: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind,” 2 Timothy 1:7.  So, where does fear come from?

       The thing is, Fear has a name and it’s called, “the Enemy.”  The Enemy, AKA Satan and his minions, dearly love to inject fear into our lives.  If they can cause ripples of fear to skitter up your backbone, or full-blown fear to make your heart pound, they consider it a victory – a job well-done.  You can almost hear them cackling in the background.

      Frankly, I don’t like the sound of that.  How about you? 

      Negative “What ifs?” are tools the enemy wants to use to throw a wrench into the “sound mind” God wants us to enjoy.  We can foil his nasty attempts to rattle us by turning the negatives into positives.  Consider positive “What ifs?” to replace those that cause fear.  What if tomorrow I feel empowered and confident and my day turns out to be wonderful?  What if I'm able to make a new friend at that new school/new job/new church - and it ends up being a great relationship?  What if - fill in the blank with something that sounds good to you.

      I really like what Sarah Young wrote in Jesus Calling: “The future is a phantom, seeking to spook you.  Laugh at the future.  Stay close to Jesus.”
 
     The answer to being fearful is found in Psalm 34:4: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”  Now, that’s something I like the sound of!
 
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