Honestly, I know and feel love from God on a daily basis. Just looking at Archie, Madison, Christian, and Caleb I know that I am loved. Taking notice of all the blessings that I have in my life truly does remind me of how loved I am by God and through my family and friends. So, what I am really longing for is the protection piece. But protection from what?
Fear. Fear is what I need to be protected from. Sometime 2 years ago fear took a hold of me and I have never truly been the same. Nothing huge happened in my life for it to rear its ugly head, but it came . . . and then it kept coming. What is there to be afraid of? I know that God has conquered all and that I should not be afraid, yet, I find myself gripped by it sometimes. I'm not afraid of spiders or planes crashing, or even the scare of our down-turned economy. I am afraid of myself or any of my dear family and friends having health problems-I am also sometimes afraid of death.
The reality of mortalness has become so very clear to me these past few years, and the stories I hear and the televisions shows I have watched just add to it. So I become afraid. But in that fear I always hear God in the background, in a whisper, telling me not to be afraid. Telling me to hold onto Him and He will deliver me from my fear. Telling me that He is bigger than my fear. I want to hear that voice, that whisper, know that Truth . . . so fear doesn't grip me, so I am not afraid, so I trust in what God says and Who He is. . . so there is no room for fear to grow.
So tonight I claim these verses and ask God to protect me, to be my strength.
Isiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 43:1b-3a)
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
(Philippians 4:6-8)
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
(Exodus 14:13a,14)
Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
(Psalm 73:26)
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
(Psalm 84:5,7)
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. (Psalm 94:18-19)
When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.
(John 14:27)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Farewell fears! I will no longer be afraid of fevers, headaches, meningitis, fainting, medical issues, cancer, or death and I will hold onto the promises of God. If my fear does return or if new fears begin, then I will continue to hold onto God's promises because He is mighty and He has already conquered all my fears. My fears are crushed to Him, so they are now also crushed to me.
--what made me think about this today was a conversation that I had on the phone with a nurse about Madison's fever and meningitis. God used her to show me that I was being silly and that I was allowing fear to paralyze and blind me. I was allowing fear to lessen my trust in my God, my Savior.
