Do Not Be Afraid

“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.” Isaiah 41:10

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I will not be afraid.” Psalm 56:3-4

It’s a terrible thing to be fearful. When my daughter, Shelly, was around 9-years old, she went through a period of several months where she was deeply afraid of dying. Apparently, the trigger for her fear came from an experience at school when one of her teachers suddenly passed away. No amount of talking or trying to reason with Shelly helped ease her mind. She lost a lot of sleep during those days and nights, as did I. I took her to a family doctor who told me to ignore her at night when she wanted to come into my bedroom to be consoled. This doctor told me that Shelly was only seeking attention. Upon the doctors advice, thinking that he must know best, I tried not letting her into my bedroom for a night or two, but my heart was breaking as she screamed, crying uncontrollably on the other side of the door. Finally, my mother’s heart took over, and I realized the doctor was not wise in telling me to how to handle that particular situation with my child.

Next, we tried counseling for Shelly. Several weeks of visits proved to confirm what I wanted to hear. I was told that my daughter was perfectly normal and not otherwise disturbed, except for the trauma she seemed to be suffering at the time from one event.

Slowly, but surely, this great fear passed for my sweet girl. It was such a relief to see her become a normal child again. Over the years, I watched her grow up unafraid of anything she encountered in life. She never exhibited fear of any kind. As an adult, when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she told me that she was not afraid to die. She was a strong believer in Jesus Christ and her faith took her through that painful and traumatic journey, and on to Heaven. Without fear. Sadness, yes. Fear, no.

God’s Word tells us not to fear. I have heard it said that the words, “fear not”, are in the Bible 365 times—a “fear not” for each day of the year. I cannot verify this claim because I have not counted them. But I do know one thing. Based on Scripture, we are told that we are never alone. God is with us. Always. We are to fear not.

These days in which we are living can cause a lot of fear, if we allow it. We know that fear is not of God, rather it is a tool that Satan uses to try and discourage us; to render us useless for the Kingdom of God. If he is able to succeed in causing us to cower in fear, then he takes us out of service.

God loves us enough to keep us from fear. He is always there to help. We are worthy of His great love, not great fear. When life looks scarier than ever before, always remember that God didn’t bring us this far in our journey of faith to leave us. His promises to keep us from fear. What He promises, He will bring to pass. He is not in the business of fear, but He is in the business of helping us overcome all of our fears. May we always choose faith over fear as we face the challenges in this life. We serve a God who can do no less than be true to His Word. Praise His name for that!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, You are a God of great promises! Your Word is powerful beyond our comprehension. Help us to remember the many “fear not’s” that are found in Your Word. Give us great faith. Give us faith over fear. Give us strength for our journey as we walk in Your ways. We love You and thank You for loving us and saving us for our eternal home, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.