Afraid

What do you do when you can’t pray? When the words won’t come. When your soul is exhausted. The great missionary J. Hudson Taylor came to that point. When anxiety filled his heart, he said, “I can’t read. I can’t think. I can’t pray. But I can trust.” We can all trust and know that the Holy Spirit is praying for us at a level we cannot comprehend.

There is a great story involving Jesus and his disciples that reminds us that even great men and women of God have times of doubt, especially when the storms kick up. Here’s the story from Matthew’s account of Jesus walking on the water and Peter giving it a try.

“Loneliness can drive us to some very dark places.” That’s what a fellow believer shared in a recent email, and that’s what David shares in today’s psalm. David wrote these words while hiding in a cave from Saul as he was trying to kill him. When we feel alone, we can hide in some very dark places.

What are you afraid of? What’s that thing that holds you back from being all that God wants you to be? Are you caught up in fear? Fear is an obstacle to your spiritual growth. It saturates the heart and permeates through families and to those within your network of influence. It is the cause of anxiety, terror, and dread. It causes us to run, engage, or stall (flight, fight, freeze).

There is no need to panic when God is on your side.

Start with adoration—tell God how much you love him. Spend time in confession—confess your sin, your fear, your doubt.

God was with her. His presence drove away the fear.

For to us a child is born! Enter the King! Exit the darkness! The light of the world has come!

The psalmist says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you . . . in God I trust and am not afraid.” Turn your fear over to God. He is more than capable to turn your “Pole of Fear” into a pathway of faith.