“The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” – Psalm 34:17
I cannot count the times I have called upon the name of the Lord when I have been in trouble. Sometimes the trouble directly impacted me, like when I was diagnosed with cancer. Other times the trouble indirectly affected me, like when my granddaughter broke her arm. Regardless of what type of problem occurred in my life, the Lord was ready to hear my cry and deliver!
Today, I reflected upon Psalm 34:17, and it occurred to me that there was another kind of trouble that often invades my life for which I do not often call upon the Lord. That trouble is the kind that invades my mind.
Psalm 59:1 states, “Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.” Sometimes my worst enemy is my own mind. I conjure up imaginary woes that often never materialize. The “woe” that most often pervades my thoughts is the “fear of tomorrow.” The “what-ifs” can be endless! When I look around at the world situation, I feel a cold and calculating fear begin to rise from the pit of my stomach. As it spreads its insidious fingers into my psyche, I feel a growing uneasiness envelop me as I begin to worry about the future.
There are other mental worries as well. Is this lump a cancer? Will I become a burden to my family? Will my finances be enough to live on? Will our government collapse? Is it safe to go to out in the community? Once one fear is dispelled, there are others waiting in the wings to take its place and continue chipping away at my well-being. How do I combat such a relentless enemy? I cannot fight these fears alone for I am weak, and the fears are strong. What do I do? I do what I should have done long ago. I take these “fears” and bring them to the throne of grace. I cry until the Lord, and He delivers me as He promised.
The Bible reminds me…
- “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – 2 Timothy 4:18
- No matter what comes my way, physical, mental, or spiritual, the Lord promises to deliver me from EVERY evil work!
- “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:3
- It is God alone who will do the work to protect me, and He will!
- “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.” – Proverbs 4:5-6
- The way to freedom from fear is found in the Word of God. It is His wisdom alone that shall preserve and keep me!
- “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” – Isaiah 41:10
- When I am held in God’s mighty right hand, I have nothing to fear. He promises to give me His strength to endure and be victorious!
- “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” -Psalm 34:19
- As a Christian, I am not immune to the trials and tribulations of this life, but I am promised that my God will deliver me from them ALL, physical, mental, or spiritual!
God tells us in His Word that we are not to worry about the “what-ifs.” There is enough of the realities of today with which to concern ourselves. “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6:34) Tomorrow is beyond our ability to do anything about it today. We need to leave that to God. He can do a much better job than you or me in handling the problems of the future. Depending upon the Lord is the key to the elimination of our fear. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
I have spent way too much time focusing on the fears of tomorrow when I should be centering today’s thoughts on the Lord. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2) When I do what He tells me to do, I find the fears that threaten to engulf me are replaced by the sweet peace of God! “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
When shadows fall and the night covers all
There are things that my eyes cannot see.
I never fear, for the Saviour is near.
My LORD abides with me!
When I’m alone and I face the unknown
And I fear what the future may be,
I can depend on the strength of my Friend!
He walks along with me.
How can I fear? Jesus is near!
He ever watches over me!
Worries all cease; He gives me peace.
How can I fear with Jesus?
(from “How Can I Fear?” by Ron Hamilton)
“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;” – Ephesians 4:23
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“Meet your fears with faith.” – Max Lucado