I look into those terrified eyes and whisper words of comfort.  That daughter of mine so like her mother.  I feel like a hypocrite because who am I to talk to anyone about fear?  Me – a woman prone to so many fears and insecurities. I have lived with my fears for so long and carried them with me through the years.  I have worn them like a heavy coat in the middle of July.  And they have, slowly and surely, smothered me. And doesn’t that just please the ruler of this world immensely – to see God’s children chained by fear?

We live in a world that provides so many opportunities for fear.  We fear illness and failure and loneliness.  We fear being invisible and insignificant and unworthy. We fear that we will always be who we have always been. We know that the ruler of this world is a liar and, yet, we fear he may be right when he whispers in our ears.  What if we are everything he says we are?

Fear can be suffocating.  It sits heavy on the chest and makes it hard to breathe. It makes the ground beneath us shaky and unsure; we become frozen in place.  Suddenly, nothing feels secure or safe.

It is then, in our most fear-filled moments, that He speaks to us.  When fear rocks our world, He is rock-steady.

When the earth and all its inhabitants shake,
I am the One who steadies its pillars. – Psalm 75:3

If we are not careful, fear will become our focus. We will forget that we have a strong and brave Savior. Christ laid Himself down in between us and death itself so that there would be nothing worthy of our fear. We will not be shaken because He is unshakable.  We are worthy and precious and loved because He says we are.  It matters not that this world would have us believe otherwise.

When we are walking through a scary trial…Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God (Isaiah 41:10.)

When we feel ourselves being ruled by our fears…For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment (2 Timothy 1:7.)

Time and time again, God looks into our terrified eyes and whispers words of comfort.

Fear not, He says…Fear not.