Hope in the Face of Despairഉദാഹരണം

God never says, “Don’t be afraid,” to people who are not afraid. God says, “Don’t be afraid,” to people who are afraid. You might be feeling afraid right now—overwhelmed by what you’re going through or uncertain about what lies ahead. But God sees your fear. He knows your struggles, and His message to you is clear: “Don’t be afraid.”

But He doesn’t just tell you not to be afraid—He gives you a reason. He says, “Don’t be afraid. Why? Because I am with you.” God’s solution to our fears is not simply to make us stop being afraid, nor is it to make us look stronger or remove the situations we fear.

God’s solution to our fears is in the provision of Himself. God gives Himself to us as an antidote to our fears. Our problem isn’t that God is absent when we are afraid; our problem is that we are not aware of His presence when we are afraid.

We are more attuned to seeing the fears in front of us than to recognize the presence of God within us. The more aware you are of God’s presence in your life, the smaller your fears appear. Without God, your fears seem big; with God, your fears seem small.

Our fears reveal our lack of trust in what God can do for us, with us, and in us. God says, “Do not be dismayed.” This means: do not be distressed or shaken, for I am your God. You will not be shaken when you remember to whom you belong. You are not unshaken because nothing can shake you—you are unshaken because the One with you is never shaken.

We are also encouraged never to be afraid because God will give us the strength we need. When God says, “I will strengthen you,” it is an invitation to a place where He provides that strength. Sometimes we say that God gives us strength, but we are unwilling to go to the place where we can receive it.

I have found that God’s strength is often given as needed. God is full of strength, but He gives it to us as we need it. Trusting God is about reaching a place where you know that the only strength you need comes from God and nowhere else.

PRAYER:

God help me to see you not only for what you can do for me but for who you are to me. Help me to surrender my fears so I can fully depend on you and your promises. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!