Choosing Trust over Fear

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 NIV

“Why are you so untrusting, Mom?” my son, Nathan, said with his brow furrowed. “I’m not worried about it.” He had let a friend borrow his favorite shin guards, a much-needed soccer item, and wasn’t worried his friend might not bring them to the game that night.

His words stung. Why was I so untrusting? I folded my arms across my chest as I thought about it.

I knew why. I had recently been hurt by a dear friend and refused to let her back into my heart. Paralyzed by fear, I didn’t know how to move forward in that relationship. I suddenly realized the effects.

Later that day, I sat quietly and asked God for an answer to my fear. The story of Joshua and Caleb in Numbers 13–14 came to mind. These two men, along with ten other Israelite leaders, were sent to explore the land of Canaan. For forty days, they wandered, examining the fruit, the towns, and the people who lived there. When they returned, they gave reports of a land that flowed with milk and honey. But some of the spies also spread fear, speaking of large and powerful people living there.

The Israelites questioned whether they should move into this land. They allowed fear to influence them. But Caleb responded, “Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them” (Numbers 14:9).

Caleb trusted the Lord more than he feared the people of Canaan. He made a choice that ultimately awarded him the promised land—a gift others didn’t get. But even more than that, Caleb received words of praise from the Lord: “Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it” (Numbers 14:24).

Did you catch that? Caleb had a “different spirit.” I wonder what that means. Perhaps that’s a person who forgives when deeply wounded. One who moves past fear and opens her heart again. One who trusts others at their word (like Nathan and his friend, who did bring his shin guards back).

I want to live with a different spirit, but at times, I act like one of the ten spies. I allow fear to drive my behavior. I’ve been wounded in my blended family, and I close my heart. Instead of trusting God’s ways, I determine my own way. I listen to others instead of listening to God.

But that sends me back to the wilderness! I want to live in the promised land as one who follows the Lord wholeheartedly—one who chooses trust over fear.

Dear Lord, I want to live like Caleb. But I need Your help. Give me the courage to trust Your ways with every step and follow You to new heights.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When we trust the Lord and His guiding hand, our fears subside.

For more devotions by Gayla Grace, check out her book, Beautifully Blended, HERE.