Are you frightened today? Are you anxious about anything? John Hopkins Medicine reports about 19 million people have a phobia of some kind. A fear plagues them. The fears include fear of spiders, people, tight places, thunderstorms, and the list goes on.
What are you fearing today? Maybe it is an uncertain future, a medical diagnosis, a wayward child, a relationship, or a number of other things. These fears are real and do exist. They should not be pushed under the rug as if they aren’t real.
1 Peter 3:6 in the ESV says – Do not fear anything that is frightening. That to me says there are things that are frightening, but we are instructed not to fear those things. The things you face are scary. Unknown circumstances are daunting and difficult to manage courageously.
Is there help to battle the things in your life that are frightening? Could you find a path to take that would keep you stable amidst the uncertainties you face? I believe there are some proactive steps you can take to manage your fear and prevent it from spiraling out of control.
These steps can be found in Psalm 34. No matter what your fear, your difficult circumstance, or future uncertainty – determine you will praise the Lord. The Lord never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The further you look out from yourself and your circumstances to the Lord, the more stable you will become. Let His praise always be in your mouth. Extol Him at all times. Let His praise constantly be in your mouth.
As we look further in Psalm 34, we will find some additional instructions that help us overcome the things in our lives that are frightening.
Perceive and Experience the Lord is good. Know He is agreeable, pleasant, bountiful, favorable, and beneficial.
Trust in the Lord. Surround yourself with the agreeableness, pleasantness, favor, blessedness, and bounty of the Lord. Let your thoughts be centered on how good God is and worthy of your confiding in Him. Know you can give yourself to Him for His good keeping of you.
Fear the Lord. Focus on Him. Set your gaze upon Him not upon your circumstances or yourself. Do not let the thought “what shall I do” distract you from your vision of the amazing God who is working all things out for you. Consider the Lord valuable and worthy of your worship.
Seek the Lord. Take your place of rest and resort to be in Him. Ask of Him for the answers and directions. Practice the guidance He provides. Investigate His method for living and handling everything. Diligently pursue and follow Him in all your fears.
Stay away from evil, distress, misery, calamity, adversity, trouble, unpleasantness. Instead cling to what is good. Even when you find yourself in difficult circumstances, through no fault of your own, hold tightly to the Lord as toddlers cling to the leg of their mothers when in the company of strangers. Attach yourself to the Lord as a protection from the trouble you are experiencing.
Run toward peace. Pursue freedom from war. Run in the way of peace and continue in that way. Be the maker of peace. Do all you can to live at peace with one another.
As you consider the situations in your life that make you frightened and bring you to a state of fear, practice these techniques to battle the fear. Keep the fear from overcoming you and rendering you useless. Fight back with your eyes on the Lord and your feet running His way. As the mother protects the clinging child, your Heavenly Father will protect you from everything that is frightening in your life.
Written By: Anne Gurley
