WHO CALMS YOUR FEARS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”
(Psalm 27:1)

MEDITATION:
When you were a young kid, who was your superhero? Did you
ever pretend to be surrounded by bad guys, and your superhero
would always come to rescue you before they could hurt you?
You felt safe in your imaginary world because you knew your
superhero would always be there for you.

Did you ever pretend you were that superhero? Did you ever create
terrible situations in your mind where someone, or several people
were in danger? However, just before they were about to suffer harm,
you arrived on the scene and saved them!

In our adult world, today there are many people living in the bondage
of fear. One psychiatrist said that the greatest problem of many of his
patients was fear. What are some of the fears people have? Here is a
short list (many more could be added):
    Fear of having mental issues.
    Fear of being alone.
    Fear of not being liked.
    Fear of heart disease or cancer.
    Fear of disasters.
    Fear of death.
    Fear of losing a job.
    Fear of the loss of a loved one.
    Fear of a child making bad decisions.
    Fear of speaking in front of a large group.
    Fear of crime and criminals.
    Fear of our nation being attacked.
The list could go on and on as we have become a nation of fearful people.

When we read the Bible, we see that throughout the ages people
faced times of trouble. They were fearful of being ruled by a
ruthless and ungodly king. They were fearful of being taken into
captivity and becoming slaves. They were fearful of being attacked
by other countries. They also had to deal with temptations, trials,
loss of loved ones, and other crises.

How did they deal with their fears and their times of trouble? God’s
Word tells us that He brought courage to the hearts of those who loved
Him. In fact, we can see throughout the Bible how God assured the people
that He would provide help and comfort them whenever troubles would
arise that caused fear in the hearts of His people.

God understands our fears and wants to calm them whenever they arise.
Look in the Bible at the many times people were afraid when an angel
would appear. What was the first thing the angel would say to them?
    “Do not fear”
That assures us that God does not want us to live a life full of fear.

As believers, we can read the scriptures and be assured that God
will deliver us whenever we put our trust and confidence in Him.
As Christians, we know our eternal destiny and it provides us
with the capability of living a life filled with hope, joy and peace.
We don’t have to become slaves of burdens, discouragement, and fear.

Just as our imaginary superhero with all of his superpowers, made us
feel safe in our world of imagination, we can feel safe in our real world
because we know God has superpowers and will deliver us from our
the perils of this earthly life.

He is our Shepherd Who guides us through life and helps us to find
the stillness we need in order to rest.
He is the One Who restores our soul from one of fear, to one of hope.
He is the One Who walks with us through our darkest valleys.

He is the One Who helps us lose our fear of evil.
He is the One Who provides what we need to be comforted.
He is the One Who prepares a table for us even when we are
surrounded by enemies.
    Think about what that says about our fear. We are
    surrounded by enemies and yet we are sitting down
    to eat (not much fear there, huh?).

He is the One Who fills our cups with the good things
we need (the things that are good for us).
He is the One Who promises love and goodness all the days of our
lives.
No matter what is going on, He assures us that He will always love
us and He will always be there for us.
He is the One Who promises us that we can live in His house forever.

ACTION:
Is fear having a debilitating impact on your life? God has promised
to calm our fears, and if we are His children, then we believe it. It’s
not always easy, but the core of our belief is Yahweh (“God with us”).
Each believer can probably recall a time in their lives when they ‘knew’
God was with them in some situation.

Satan wants us to believe that we are ‘self-dependent’ and don’t need
to be ‘bothering’ God with our issues. But what do the scriptures tell
us? We are encouraged to ‘bother’ God, aren’t we?
    Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks
    in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for
    you in Christ Jesus.
    (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

When we ‘bother’ God, we are showing our ‘dependence’ on Him and
our lack of ‘independence’ on self. Lack of fear doesn’t mean lack of
caution; it means we know of God’s presence, and we know where our
permanent home will be. Others may fail to live up to our expectations,
but God has assured us that He will always love you and me.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, the assurances of Your love help to calm
the fears of my heart. I have more confidence to deal with
my fears when I realize how much You care for me and how
You want me to overcome them. Thank You for promising to
always be there for me. Teach me to embrace my dependence
on You.”

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