Fear not

My eight-year old daughter ran into my room last night and exclaimed with excitement, “Mommy, come look at the rainbow!” I jumped up and hurried with her to the front porch. There was a perfect, beautiful rainbow across the sky. While we were admiring and enjoying the beauty of the rainbow, there was a sudden flash of lightening followed by a very loud, thunderous boom. My daughter immediately hurried to my side and yelled, “Let’s go in, mom!”

It doesn’t take long for fear to overcome our other emotions. We can be having a great day, and then something happens that elicits that gut-wrenching feeling, and then fear becomes our dominant emotion. Fear drowns out our healthy, positive emotions. I can be focused on homeschool and enjoying teaching my daughter, and then I remember that I have to pay bills, or submit a form for work, or complete a project. In an instant, fear of forgetting or not completing my tasks creeps in and ruins my positive mood.  In those moments, I can actually feel the stress seep into my being.

Fear of anything can strangle our positive emotions of courage, joy, and hope, and can zap our strength and resolve. Fear is a slick emotion that can overcome us in a second. When I feel fear becoming a dominant force in my day, I remember God’s promises. My favorite one comes from Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

When I’m at work, out shopping, or at home, and I feel frustrated with the way someone is treating me, Hebrews 13:6 reminds me that, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” When the fear of loneliness is present, I remember John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” When I worry that I might not be successful at something that I need to try, I look at James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Fear is always going to creep up on us. We can expect it. The enemy of this world is sly, and he knows just how to get to each one of us. The thing is, we can use God’s promises to help us combat these fears. God’s promises are stronger than any fear. We can crush our fears, or at least stop that fearful train of thought, by remembering God’s promises to us. God gives us power to overcome.

Tackling our fears is not always easy. Most of the time, it’s not. Some days we may have to repeat those promises over and over because our fear is strong. The enemy doesn’t give up. He will keep jabbing at us to break us down and make us feel weak. But God doesn’t give up on us either. We are His children, and with His promises for us, we are able to overcome any fear the enemy throws out. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37.