Faith over Fear

Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Fear is a liar.

One of my brave granddaughters

I stood on the platform I’d waited on the year before. The first time I donned the harness and looked across the water, I stepped into the air and ziplined across with a not so graceful landing. I enjoyed the ride, but a year later, harness on, anxiety and fear gripped me. I’d watched Tim sail across, but I couldn’t take the first step. The person equipping me wasn’t allowed to give me a push. Yes, I did ask her to. Instead, she helped me remove the harness, and I climbed to the ground. Fear had taken over and caused me to fail. I’d let it consume me.

Fear can paralyze, invade with feelings of impending doom, and take over logical reasoning. It can convince me I’m not good enough, or I can’t do this or that. So much is going on in the world that I can’t control, but I do have control over my response. Do I fear what I can’t change, or do I trust in God, who is with me in all things?

In Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people he’s been leading in the wilderness he will no longer be with them. He won’t enter the promised land. Instead, Joshua will take them on the rest of the journey. If I were Joshua, I would have been terrified to take over for such a great leader as Moses. Would I disappoint God’s people, take them the wrong direction, or fail to complete the task? Moses tells Joshua and the Israelites not to fear, but to be courageous because God is with them. Their journey into the promised land wasn’t easy. It took hope and faith.

Healthy fear keeps me safe. The fear I conjure up in my head because I’m gripped by uncertainty can stop me from moving forward in the work God calls me to do. I want to choose faith over fear and trust in God, who delivered the Israelites and will deliver me. Life is hard, but God is bigger than anything that instills fear.

Trust God in faith and leave fear behind.