BOO! Did I scare you? Probably not however, October and Halloween are the time of the year when we focus on things that are scary. I always decorate my home for the kids that stop by for treats, making it scary enough to give them a thrill without frightening the little ones so much they refuse to come to the door. So far, I have succeeded!
Unfortunately for many of us, the fear doesn’t leave once Halloween has passed. Too many things in our lives today that keep us awake at night and cause us anxiety during the day. There are so many steps you can take to help alleviate your fear, however, I find a strong dose of faith goes a long way to strengthening me when I am weak. I have read that the words “Fear Not” appear in the Bible 365 times, one for each day of the year. I have even written two books addressing the issue of fear in our lives. One discusses examples from Scripture where people struggled with faith and fear; the other is an Advent study that looks at fear as it is told in the Nativity story.
For this article, I simply want to remind you how much God cares about you and the steps He takes to lessen your fear. I believe God wants us to be strong and to help us, He does these three things:
- He is always with us: Little kids that come to our doo on Halloween are often afraid until their parents reassure them. Once the kids know they are not alone, that their parents are walking along with them, they are all right. In the 23rd Psalm, we are told that we never need to be afraid, even when we are in terrifying situations because the Lord is always with us. He walks alongside us, every step, every day of our lives.
- He always listens to us: I am often asked if I believe God is listening to us. Yes, yes I do. And I also believe He answers us. Too often we are overwhelmed by the noise of life that we fail to hear Him. Or we fail to recognize when He responds. We expect the answer to be one thing yet He delivers a different response. Jesus tells us we should ask and it will be given to us. Not necessarily in the exact way we THINK it should be delivered but in the way that is best for us.We can remain strong in the thought that God is always listening to us.
- He always cares for us: God loves us more than we can ever imagine. Jesus wondered why we are so anxious. He was quick to point out how His Father takes such good care of the birds, providing for all their needs. Jesus then reminds us that we mean even more to His Father than the birds do… and the birds mean a lot to Him. Jesus told us not to be troubled. In other words, FEAR NOT!
God loves us so much that He made us in His image. He wants to care for us and take away our fear and anxiety. All we need to do is have the faith that He is with us, listening to us, and caring for us every day!
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