A couple of years ago, we moved into a house with a large back deck overlooking a large meadow surrounded by a forest of towering oak trees. One day I was sitting out on the back deck watching my daughter play with her new, big red bouncy ball in the grassy meadow when it suddenly bounced into the dark shadows of the tall trees in the yard. “Mommy”, she cried, “Can you please go get my ball?’ “You can go get it”, I said. Honestly, I didn’t feel like getting up, which I justified by the thought that I’m always a fan of working on my kids’ independence. “No, I’m scared”, she said, “it’s dark”. From my perspective, up on the deck above the meadow, I could see the whole picture. My child was just a few short steps from her ball, there was nothing scary in the woods and I was right there with her. The thing she wanted was easily within her reach. But from her perspective, all she could see was her fear. Her fear of the unknown. Her fear of the dark. God instantly spoke to my heart at that moment that we are so often as my daughter in our own lives. Sometimes when we feel God calling us to somewhere or something new, we can only see our fear of the unknown and what ifs. He calls us to trust Him because He is sitting up on the deck while we are down in the meadow and can see from an accurate perspective. He longs for us to know He is with us always, He has our best interest at heart and that He is always with us and for us!
Psalms 32:8 tells us, The Lord says “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”NLT
Joshua 1:9 says, This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.NLT
And Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.NLT
I spent too many years in the bondage of fear. Fears of all varieties, both big and small, realistic and far fetched. Fear of the unknown. Fear of pain. Fear of loss. Fear of tragedy taking someone I love or it taking me and leaving my kids motherless.
But I also had a fear of failure. Fear of people not liking me. Fear of not being good enough for God’s love. Fear of disappointing others and losing their love and approval. That’s a whole lot of fears! The saying what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger comes to my mind when I think about my life. Many of the things that I’ve gone through in my life I would have never wanted to experience nor would I wish them upon anyone else. But it’s through these challenging times that with God walking by my side, sometimes literally carrying me through, that I have finally been delivered from the spirit of fear and it is such an incredible blessing. I wouldn’t go back and change or avoid the hard things that I’ve had to go through in my life because they have allowed God to shape me into who I am today.
My husband and I have both laughingly stated that if we had met years earlier, we may never have even liked each other, much less gotten married because we weren’t the people then that we are now because of all of the life challenges that both of us have gone through. Our experiences have the power to shape who we will become, but even more exciting is that when you allow God to do the shaping through the experiences, He will make good out of our bad circumstances to bring Himself glory. He will bring joy out of our pain. He will give peace where there was strife. He will make beauty out of ashes. And it’s only when giving Him our pain and trusting Him with our path that this can happen.
Now I’m definitely not saying that my fearfulness is completely conquered. I still struggle with fearful thoughts thanks to my overactive imagination from time to time, like most of us. One of the things I have found that helps me the most (besides prayer, obviously) is to ask myself a few questions. Questions that I always come back to at the end of the fear is to carry that fearful thought through. What would happen if …..? What would happen if I disappoint someone and they get angry with me? What would happen if I fail at something important to me and embarrass myself? What would happen if an unthinkable tragedy strikes me or my family? Would God still love me? Would God still be with me? Would it be painful? Yes, of course. But could I make it through it with God’s help? Definitely. And you can too. God’s love, help, grace and strength are available to every believer no matter their circumstances. He is longing for you to call upon His name so that He can carry your burdens for you and give you peace and rest.
The other very important question that I ask myself is, “What has God done in the past?” When I look back on my life and recount all of the trials, tragedies and hard times that I have encountered and come through, I remember once more God’s amazing presence in my life and His faithfulness to walk with me through my trying times.
Scary pregnancies, having a child born with severe medical issues, car accidents, repeated betrayal of unfaithful spouse, a bitter divorce, kid’s accidents with broken bones, heart murmers, brain tumors, custody battles, stepfamily issues, a child’s incarceration, financial hardships, a child wandering far from the Lord, losing a child, failed ministry, failed business, my own sin. Those are just some of my personal experiences that come to mind when I am struggling to fight my fear and I need to remind myself of God’s amazing faithfulness. He has walked with me through each and every one of those situations because He is such a good father that cares so deeply for his children. He has given me peace that made no sense at the time but that was unmistakeably from Him. Praising Him for His extraordinary faithfulness in times of uncertainty glorifies Him but also builds my faith in Him to care for me in the future and all that it may entail.
I hope that my stories of His steadfast presence in my life will give others a small glimpse of the gentle, merciful nature of our magnificent Creator. He is ever faithful, kind and compassionate. He loves us with an unimaginable love and wants to walk with us through every single facet of this life- the joyful, the heartbreaking and the mundane. My hope is that my words will encourage you to dare to invite Him into every part of your life so that He can provide you with the peace that is beyond understanding and the joy that can only come from Him. He is worthy of all of your trust and faith.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phillippians 4:7 ESV
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