“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”—Psalm 23:4 (ESV)
As a young child, my fear of the dark fed my overactive imagination. After I was tucked in bed each night, that fear began to manifest itself in the form of shadowy shapes illuminated by the tiny night light in my bedroom.
Looking back now, I can laugh my fear. But, at the time, those childhood fears conjured up evil people just waiting to pounce on me. I’d yell for my mother, claiming I was thirsty. No matter the hour, even if I roused her from a deep sleep, she would bring me a drink of water.
Today, I know the Living Water, Jesus. He is always beside me, walking with me through each valley, where the shadows often hide unknown evil. My daily walk with Him has led to a trust only He can provide.
Joshua 1:9 says, “Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (ESV).
Placing my trust in God—and letting go of my fears—has led to new adventures. I’ve been to places I never dreamed of traveling, including overseas mission trips and to walk in Jesus’ footsteps in Israel.
Overcoming my fears to trust in Him has led to a speaking ministry. Me—speaking in front of my peers? I’m the woman who made a “C” in her college speech class. Only God could make that happen.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (MSG).
Putting Christ at the center of our lives does more than release us from our fears. We gain a God-confidence based on hope—His hope. We learn Who is in control. And it’s not us.
British Missionary Oswald Chambers once said, “Believe steadfastly on Him and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith. There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of our physical death, which is the last great test. Faith is absolute trust in God—trust that could never imagine that He would forsake us.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 is also a reminder of His constant presence. “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Faith in our Heavenly Creator, who formed us in our mother’s womb, who desires to have a personal relationship with you and me, who will never leave us or forsake us, is the key to overcoming every one of our fears.
I absolutely love this column. Our sermon Sunday morning was about Hope. Your column has a lot of my favorite verses. Verses that I hang onto when things get rough. The 23rd Psalm is my verse when I start to fear. I absolutely love Oswald Chambers. I heard about him many years and can read his devotional “My Utmost for His Highest” year after year and still am blessed by his words. Thank you so much for this column.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment, Barbara. I appreciate you. If you wouldn’t mind sharing my blog with others, I would certainly appreciate it. I had other plans after retiring from a 30-year teaching career. However, writing for His glory is what HE led me to do. I am so humbled that HE would use me in this way. God bless you and yours!
Powerful, Carol. I love Psalm 23. And the “even though” in verse 4, is usually the kind of thing in life bringing us the most fear. But none of my even though’s win the victory…if I let go of fear.
Thanks for a great message. My blog post tomorrow is also a message on fear. The Lord must be telling us something and giving us a needed message for others too. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on my blog, Karen. I look forward to your post on fear. Yes, I think He must be telling us something if we both wrote about the same topic. God bless, Karen!