SAYING GRACE: ‘Focusing on God’s faithfulness frees us from fear’

BY HEATHER ABLONDI FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR

We heard the sound as soon as our heads hit our pillows after a late night of watching television. The high-pitched, blood-curdling wail came from right outside our bedroom windows. We heard it again after pausing our conversation to listen.

This time we both jumped out of bed and ran out the back door to see what on earth was screaming in our backyard. We rounded the garage just in time to see a large shadowy figure scurry across our driveway, but it was too dark to make out what it was.

We continued to track the screams as it made its way onto our neighbor’s property. After watching “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” earlier in the day and an episode of “Stranger Things” right before bed, I stood in fear trying to decide if I had a velociraptor or Demogorgon in my yard. Thankfully, with the help of the internet, we were able to determine that it was neither. Our nocturnal visitor was identified as a red fox and we can now definitively answer the question, “What does the fox say?”

Our silly little incident caused a fear-induced spike of adrenaline, which made it difficult to fall asleep that night. Unfortunately, I awoke to yet another terrifying headline just two mornings later. I wondered if any place was safe anymore. I felt my heart becoming gripped with fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of losing a loved one. Fear of all the craziness going on in this world.

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Fear can be paralyzing. It makes me want to stay in my little house in the woods with my family and have everything we need delivered by Amazon or Walmart. But that is not how God has called us to live. Instead, we are to keep our eyes on Him and His faithfulness. When we do, He will help us overcome our fears.

In her book, “Fierce Faith,” author Alli Worthington shares this: “Focusing on God’s faithfulness frees us from fear.” She goes on to say, “Fear is a liar. It speaks over us so convincingly, that we believe that something terrible is certain to happen, even in the absence of any evidence whatsoever. Fear turns our what-ifs into certainties, freezing our faith and flipping our world upside down. Fear is the most effective tool the enemy has in this world, and Jesus knew that would be the case. That’s why He tells us to not fear 121 times in the Gospels.”

I am reminded of God’s instructions to Joshua after the death of Moses. As He is telling Joshua how to move forward, God reminds him, again and again, to be “strong and courageous.” How is Joshua to do this? God’s answer is two-fold. First, He tells Joshua to, “observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you . . . This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do” (Joshua 1:7-8). Faith will replace fear when we read our Bibles daily, memorize God’s Word, and meditate on His love letter to us.

Incredibly, God doesn’t just give us His Word to help us face our fears, He gives us His presence, as well, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). How different would our daily lives be if we remembered that we do not have to face them alone, but that the very Creator of the universe is walking alongside us?

Unfortunately, neither reading God’s Word nor relying on His presence will guarantee us an easy, carefree life. We live in a fallen world and bad things will still happen. But when they do, we can face them without fear when we focus on God’s faithfulness and remember that He will always be with us to carry us through every difficult circumstance.

Heather Ablondi is a women’s ministry speaker and author who lives in Fredericksburg. You can contact her through her website, heatherablondi.com.

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