04/22/2019
Do you live in dread, and the fear of evil or bad things that can suddenly happen, or are you calm and at peace within yourself? What rules your life; is it a constant waiting on the next terrible thing to befall you, or the rest and peace of God who shields you? Anxiety and stress are today’s buzzwords, but they needn’t be. Fear, and even startling fear, are not what God wants you to feel, or to anticipate in your life.
“You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,”
Psalms 91:5 ESV
I love the Psalms for many reasons, but one of their most endearing qualities to me is that they speak of living our lives, and how to find God in the midst of them. They sing to us of reassurance, prayer, love, fear, protection, and so many of the everyday challenges of our life, and God’s part in them... but none more profoundly than God’s protection, and His comforting instruction that we should not fear.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalms 23:4 ESV
My mother is in her nineties, and she is a strong and independent woman... she has been that way all her life, but she has one trait engrained in her that you might think is contrary to strength... she is a worrier. Worry is not always a bad thing, it leads us to anticipate things in our lives, and to plan for them, but it can also lead to stress and anxiety if you let it run amuck. My mother worries about her children’s lives, her neighbors, her country, her faith, and almost everything surrounding her that is not operating smoothly, or is in the midst of a problem. I have joked with her before that if she didn’t have something to worry about then she would borrow something from someone else. If she cares for someone or something you can rest assured she will worry about them at some point, but the trick she has mastered is to worry constructively, and not to allow her concerns to become anxiety, or a deep rooted fear.
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
When a psalmist, or other Bible writer, speaks of some topic dealing with a fear, and God’s solution to an issue in our lives, it is usually because it has been worrisome to them in some way. Worry and fear are bedmates, and they are almost inseparable. So we must be on guard because although worry can solve problems and be a helpmate, it can also be the source of deep furrows in our faces, paralyzing terror, and major health issues that can rise up from it being allowed to degenerate into fear and anxiety.
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Throughout the Bible we are told to give our fears over to God, and to not be anxious. Whether it is God speaking through Isaiah, or Jesus speaking to us in the gospel of John, Matthew, or through others, it is instruction regarding how we should separate healthy worry, or anticipation, from fear and anxiety,
“"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”
John 14:1 ESV
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
Matthew 6:27 ESV
Fear and anxiety rob us of the rest, peace, and joy, of God; they are not in concert with what He wants for us. God is Love, and scripture tells us that these attributes do not exist in love...
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
1 John 4:8 ESV
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
1 John 4:18 ESV
So, what do you allow to rule your life? Is it the love we find in God, or the fear of living in the world? Do you focus on God’s love that brings you peace, rest, and joy... or do you allow the healthy worry in your life to transform itself into fear and anxiety? Let’s look back to the Psalms for help, and the answer...
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”
Psalms 34:4-5 ESV
Before your face is forever marked by the unbecoming lines of fear and anxiety, focus on the Love of God, and turn those creases upward. Let God be your focus, and His presence transform your life, and your appearance.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your love, and for your presence, protection, and provision, that wards off our fear and anxiety in life. Thank you Holy Father for your Son Jesus Christ who teaches us to find rest in you, and not anxiousness in the world. Help us Loving Father to use the worry in our lives constructively, and not to let it rule us, and make us anxious regarding your desire to watch over us in all things. Teach us to find focus and solutions, and not fear and anxiety, in the appropriate degree of concern that Godly worry can provide us. You tell us to lean on you, not to fear, and not to be anxious... guide us by your love Father so that we can find ourselves in obedience to these instructions, and at rest in you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who gives us peace and joy in life through your love, and mercy. Praised be your name for the grace that straightens our paths, and restores our focus to your love. Perfect is your Word Father, and calming your reassuring voice. May all glory and honor be yours as you restore us, and dethrone the fear and anxiety, which desires to rule us. Powerful are you our God for your love knows no end.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27 ESV
Rich Forbes