“But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4 NLT).
David knew what to do when he felt afraid. He had already decided in advance that when fear came, he would replace it with faith in God. When he felt afraid, he recalled God’s Word and praised God for it. When he felt afraid, he compared the size of his problem to the size of His God and shouted, “What can man do to me?”
We often seek to cope with our fear by denying it or running from it. But fear can be a helpful indicator to the believer. For it shows that we are facing something greater than ourselves, something beyond our control, something that could bring failure or harm to us. Fear, in this sense, is an opportunity for faith. It reveals to us that we have forgotten God, or that we have made Him too small in our thinking.
Take your fears to God. Name them to Him in prayer. Read His Word and see what He has to say about Your fears. Make a decision to have faith rather than fear. Following Christ does not mean that we will not ever be afraid. In fact, following Him often means that we will face fear more than ever before, as He leads us and stretches us beyond our comfort. Yet, following Him, we learn to trust rather than tremble.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are Your children and we are learning to overcome our fears by putting our faith in You. Today, we name those things that cause us fear and anxiety. We give them to You. Now we choose to walk by faith, knowing that You are able to make us stand. In Jesus’ name, amen.