I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4
You may have heard the saying “Faith over Fear.” That saying appears on t-shirts, baseball caps, and stickers to the point where we may have a tendency to tune out the phrase. But it has great significance in the Bible as the phrase “do not be afraid” appears at least 365 times. Every day, God’s Word is telling us not to fear, but to place our faith in our all-powerful God. He can work out any situation you are encountering. In this world, fear can mask itself in many different forms – feelings of inferiority, procrastination, perfectionism, or lack of discernment. Asking unnecessary “what if” questions brings us no answers but rather anxious thoughts. Jesus reminds us, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1). In Christ, we can believe that He made us to be overcomers and to live free of fear because we can rest peacefully in our faith in God, being cradled in His loving arms. God is so interested in every detail of your life that he reminds us that even the hairs on our head are numbered, and to fear not (Luke 12:7). He also tells us that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Our God loves to reward His children! He wants to build us up day after day as disciples of Christ Jesus, and not only grants us rewards in this lifetime but most importantly rewards us in His heavenly Kingdom – rewards that will never perish! As a father cares for his child, He loving reminds us to release fear, for it is His pleasure to give us His majestic and eternal kingdom (Luke 12:32). As the world marches on to the beat of the god of “self” we can release self and fear of not living up to the world’s standards, and strive toward placing every day, every moment with an unwavering faith in God. He is our steady Rock, He is our Fortress, He is our Deliverer (Psalm 27:1; Psalm 18:2). Since faith is the opposite of fear, becoming strong in faith will always cast out fear. What an encouragement to have this absolute from the Word of God.
PRAYER
My Dear Faithful Father. You are infinitely amazing! You, being the God of the universe, Creator of the heavens and the earth, are interested in every detail of my life. Thank you that you ask me to remain faithful to you with all of my requests, desires and needs, as you will supply all of my needs, according to your riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). Thank you that you will give me the courage to “fear not!”. Thank you that you will strengthen me and reveal through your Holy Spirit how to continue to rely on and have faith in you, my Most High God (Nahum 1:7). Thank you that you are most interested in granting me rewards for my faithfulness to you, rewards that will never perish (Matthew 25:21). I praise your holy name!
In Jesus’ name, Amen!