In the midst of uncertain times, there is always opportunity for alarm. The economy appears to be at risk, and you learn a coworker was just let go. Your next thought may naturally be, “Am I next?” The unrestrained mind can race far down a negative path in an instant. Before you know it, you’ve pictured yourself destitute, looking for food scraps in a restaurant’s dumpster!
King David in the Bible had some great advice for such times.
In Psalm 27:1,3 he wrote,
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom should I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life;
Whom should I dread?
If an army encamps against me,
My heart will not fear;
If war arises against me,
In spite of this I am confident.
And in Psalm 46:1-2 we read,
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
Who whispers things like “You’re next to go” in tumultuous times? Is it God who incites anxiety in the hearts of His children? The same God who urged us to not be anxious about anything? He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We have to be careful what voice we listen to. Rest assured confusion, fear, and doubt originate elsewhere. Proverbs 1:33 tells us these words of Wisdom: “Whoever listens to me will live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Whether it is an external economic threat such as the loss of a job or a physical symptom triggering health worries, the enemy’s fiery darts are always extinguished with the shield of faith. When we resist the devil, he must flee (James 1:7). If you entertain his suggested fears, he doesn’t flee, and you’ll find yourself spinning downward in a vortex of worry. How does fear feel to you compared to joy and peace? Which would you rather have?
A friend challenged me recently, “Who do you work for?” I answered, “God.” So often we walk in the fear of people, and I have to fight it as much as anyone else. The Bible calls that fear a snare—a trap of the enemy to trip up and to bind, halting forward progress. We can choose at such times to say, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?” We can remember God is our provider, our refuge and protection, our healer. Whatever the need, His ample supply can easily meet it, for He owns the cattle on a thousand hills— all the silver and gold is His (Psalm 50:10, Haggai 2:8). He heals every kind of disease and every kind of sickness and nothing is too difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 9:35).
The next time you are tempted to get into fear, remember to fight back with the truth of God’s Word and put your trust in God—allowing His peace to flood your soul.
