Fear Not!

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone,

O LORD, will keep me safe.” - Psalm 4:8

My grandchildren bring such joy to my life. Over the weekend I was thinking about how God gave them each their own unique personalities.  Between the four of them, they love to tell stories, do crafts, read all sorts of books, spend time with friends, swim, play soccer and volleyball.... living life to the fullest! Recently the three youngest “grands” spent a week on the beach in Florida with their grandma from Chicago. I loved checking out their daily photos and seeing the smiles on their faces. Oh, to be young again... so fun loving and care-free.

Just as each one of us has our unique “qualities,” we also have our own personal “fears.” Kids may be afraid of the dark, monsters under the bed, or thunderstorms. What do you fear? Here are just some of the many categories that our fears can fall in to ... failure ... things we don’t understand ... losing control ... danger ... illness and death ... the future ... being hurt or rejected ... extremely heavy burdens ... consequences (bad choices, poor decisions).  

Some people spend their entire life being afraid. Have there been times when you went through life hiding under the covers? Have you experienced your heart pounding so loudly you couldn’t even hear yourself think? Have you craved comfort from the wrong people? When a spirit of fear comes over us, it disrupts life, clouds our judgment and drains our spiritual strength. God does not want us to live that way. Did you know that there are 366 “fear nots” in the Bible.   I have to admit there were times in my life (divorce, single parenting, cancer, relocating, going back to school) when I had to search those "fear nots" for comfort and strength, because on my own, all I could say over and over again was "I will not be afraid, I will not be afraid, I will not be afraid!"

2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, “For God did not give us the spirit of timidity (fear) but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline."  Christians will never be free from fear... but we can’t let it overwhelm us. There are some things that are out of our control and we just have to let go. We need to give our fears to the Lord and find comfort in the “fear nots” found in scripture. Our peace, comfort and hope, comes from Christ alone.

The words of Lamentations 3:22 say, "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

So, beginning today I am going to follow the example of my grandchildren.... wake up each morning to the “good stuff” and fearlessly, live life to the fullest!

Enjoy your week...
God’s Peace, Donna Weaver

“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love O Lord,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”

- Psalm 90:14