The Presence of God Calms Our Fears
Hebrews 13:5-6, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” We have nothing to fear—and yet we do fear. We need an answer for our fears. When you’re suffering, you reach for comfort and hope. You reach for some reason to get up in the morning and fight again. You reach for something that won’t make your suffering the dominant experience that troubles your heart. What gives us comfort is knowing that when we pray to the Lord, He is always near. I can’t think of anything that is more comforting than these words: I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. This promise of His presence is found in the following verses: Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5; Psalm 23:4; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5. The God of the universe, Who created and controls everything, is with us in our suffering, and He will never leave. Nothing comes into our life but what God allows. Sometimes He says, “I will let her go through that. She will draw down upon My strength. Allow it.” God may also say, “No. Don’t allow that. It will overwhelm him. He is not ready.” Nothing comes into your life that God doesn’t already know about. And since He is with you, you don’t have to fear. Often, we want the benefit of claiming “God is with me,” but we spend too little time talking to God who is always with us. Can fear be avoided entirely? Probably not. Remember, God never gave us the spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7).But Scripture gives us a plan that prepares against and responds to fear. Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” God's Word gives us hope when we find ourselves overtaken by fear. Instead of wallowing in it, we can put our trust in Him. We can deliberately turn away from fear and toward the Lord. This affirmation is also found in Isaiah 12:2, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid...” One of the dangers of suffering is that we can fall into God-amnesia, where our suffering overwhelms our knowledge or remembrance of His presence. God is never disgusted by our weakness and He will never turn His back us. He will never leave, and He will never get overwhelmed. He will never grow impatient, He would never be unfaithful. What could be more comforting? Why wait for fears to come before you decide to trust God? Practice trusting Him as a daily exercise. When you do, you may not even notice how many fears you’ll simply walk by, because your attention will be on the One who is not threatened by any fearful thing. Prayer, Father, I confess that sometimes my fears reveal I’m not trusting You as I know I should but trusting in something or someone else instead. Thank you for reminding me just how fragile everything else is compared with You. Thank You for never leaving or forsaking me. Thank You for never letting me down and always proving Yourself trustworthy. Help me learn to trust You increasingly and banish fears from my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Please Share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
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AuthorDr. Blackman is passionate about helping others grow in the grace of the Lord. His devotions are centered on how to grow closer to the Lord through a personal relationship with Christ. Archives
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