During our time in Africa, my biggest fears were snakes, and becoming sick in our little village, so far away from medical attention. You might say those were reasonable fears, that's what I often told myself, but daily life still had to move forward without letting myself become paralyzed by them.
We may experience fears about the future, our health, our families, in all many of topics. Often they are shaped our experiences. They may be a passing thought, or they may actively stop us from living life.
In Trillia Newbell's book, Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves she helps us address the circumstances we are afraid of and points us to a deeper fear of the Lord.
The first seven chapters tell us about the most common fears we face, including what the future will hold, other women and how we compare, our physical appearance and tragedy.
"The very thing we are holding on to (control) is, ironically, the thing we most need to let go of."
The last four chapters bring to light why we can trust God and what fearing him looks like in the context of our struggles.
"Rest may first require repentance and then trust, but before we can there, we need to know why we can trust God."
Our fear of the Lord begins with growing our knowledge of him, of who he is and why he is trustworthy with our life and those we love. While this doesn't seem like new information, it's really profound.
During the hardest times of my life, when I have experienced deep fears about my daughter's health, or insecurities, or the future, I gain strength to combat those fears as I bring to mind what I know about the character of God and recite those truths over and over.
It's when I stop remembering who God is, getting stuck in my own thoughts, or the emotions of what's happening, that pulls me into a downward spiral of doubt and uncertainty.
Let this be an encouragement to us to pursue a life that abides in the Vine, taking time in the Word and in prayer, tending our relationship with the Lord, that when the fears surface, we are equipped with truth to trust.
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# of pages: 176
Difficulty: Easy
My rating: * * * * [4 stars]
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