Fear
How do you deal with fear?
Isaiah 41:13 NIV “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”
This verse is so precious to me. It has been a source of strength and comfort in my life again and again. But when my son Jason was 5 years old it came alive in my heart like never before.
Wayne was taking a 6 week training in Owego, NY. We loved that place. We had been there several times and this trip was amazing. While Wayne was in classes, the children and I went to the park. Walked the trails and explored the graveyard beside the hotel. On weekends and late afternoons we explored the area. We planned to spend the first 3 of his six weeks in Owego with Wayne, then we would fly home to get Jason into school. He was excited and I didn’t want him to miss anything.I was excited for Jason, but as the days flew by I began to dread…I mean really, really dread our departure. In my mind, I knew 3 weeks wasn’t long. Wayne had always traveled so it wasn’t anything new. My anxiety and grief over being apart from Wayne grew worse and worse. My feelings didn’t make sense. And as I try to explain my feelings to you, I feel childish, all I can say is I was overwhelmed with grief and fear. I prayed and prayed but I didn’t get any relief.
As I searched and read Scripture I found Isaiah 41:13. I got a visual of that verse. I could see God holding my hand…like I would hold Jason or Kimberly’s hand as we walked across the street.I always held onto their hand tightly to keep them safe. I could feel God whisper, “I’m holding your hand, so don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.”
I really grabbed hold of that verse. When I believed that verse the fear left. It was totally broken over me. It was amazing. We went home and I had perfect peace. If a felt even a twinge of fear, I would say I can do this, God is holding my right hand. I missed Wayne, but we did fine.
Why am I telling you this?
Maybe you’ve been dealing with fear…you know in your head there’s no reason to have this much fear, but you do! Or maybe your situation is serious…our situation doesn’t change God’s ability.
Here’s 3 things I recommend to you.
1. Fight with the Word. Pray it. Declare it. Again and again and again.
2. Believe what God says. Mix the Word with faith.
God is with you and He says “I am holding your hand, so don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.”
3. Declare what God says over your situation.
Stand fast. Don’t give up.