Fear.
A four letter word.
A thorn in the side of so many. A destroyer of dreams, plans, ideas, and hopes.
So God says fear not. Worry not.
Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Now there is some debate out there on how many times does it actually say that in Bible. You may have seen a meme around the internet claiming that “fear not” is listed 365 times in the bible. A “fear not” a day. Sounds so reassuring but many have argued it.
It doesn’t matter exactly how many times it is there. The importance is it is in there. Many times. Over and over again, some reference to you trusting God instead of fearing or worrying.
The Lord of Lord and King of Kings knew YOU would be afraid. And He knew you’d be afraid A LOT. So he repeated over and over again life-giving words to trust in Him and in His plan and in His purpose for you.
Now, I don’t know what you are afraid of. It might be tangible, gripping fear as you watch a loved one fight for their life through a fatal illness. It might be a nagging fear of losing your job as your company goes through restructuring talks. It might be an unsettling, keep-you-up-at-night kind of fear as you pray for a wayward son or daughter.
Or maybe it’s more personal one, like fear of being yourself, fear of losing yourself, fear of not knowing your true self.
For me … I have so many fears that plague my life that it would take days to write them all out here. All I know is that I live in a prison of fear. But today I am starting to see that the prison walls are of my own creation. That God never intended me to live like this. In fact He is slowly, gently calling me to peer over those high, seemingly immovable walls to see His face. To trust Him. To believe Him. To rest in Him.
I am learning to look at Him, my Heavenly Father and not at the circumstances or thoughts that are plaguing me. No matter what I am fearing He is there. God, my Rock is standing in the center of that specific “fear” waiting for me to notice Him. He IS the eye of my “storm”.
He wants me to be CONSUMED with Him, not my troubles. DROWNING in Him, not my worries. Completely OVERWHELMED by His presence not mine.
There is hope. Always hope.
So what do I to keep my eyes on God and not the big or small things tugging at my anxiety?
My first go to is always music. it calms me. It soothes me. It reminds me. And it teaches me. That is why I will always connect you to a song. It is my tin can and string connection right to my Heavenly Father. It is my Holy Hug!
Today I could direct to dozens of songs that keep my fear at bay but I will limit it to one.
Father Will You Come – Unhindered. (This is a youtube video made by the band. I apologize for any ads that precede the video. If you would prefer lyrics only go here.
Another way to combat the building, nagging prompts to fear is to connect to others in the same boat as you. Thankfully today the internet can connect you to even the smallest boat out there. Someone, somewhere is feeling what you are feeling and if you two connect suddenly life isn’t so lonely.
For me, I connect to other writers, other chronic pain sufferers, other moms and wives, and other ministry wives. These are my biggest circles of reach. Make sure you have people real or virtual that can inspire, encourage and even wag a finger at your naughty temptations to let fear win. Get connected and stay connected.
If any of my circles of reach speak to you, check out these links to blogs and sites I follow.
Writers – From Fear to Freedom – 9 Steps in 9 Years at Seekerville.
Chronic pain – Shipwrecked or Keeping up our Courage at Rest Ministries.
Moms – A Mom’s Greatest Fear at Lysa Terkeurst
Wives – The Spiritual Umbrella of Marriage at Gary Thomas
How do you fight the fear? Please comment below. Let’s talk.
jodi lynn 