I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. ~ Psalm 34:4
I grew up in a loving home with parents who cared for me and provided all my needs. My mom was always cooking and would often have warm cookies ready for me when I got home from school.
I lived in a safe neighborhood and rode my bicycle with friends all day long in the woods, through trails, and miles away from home. If my mom is reading this, she will probably be surprised at how far away from home I rode my bike.
But, I was always home by dark and was still safe. So you can understand how I felt safe. This is because I very rarely heard of children or friends being taken or hurt.
However, there was one thing I feared more than anything. I feared the dark. Yes. I feared the dark.
There were many times I dreaded going to sleep at night because I knew it would be dark. To fix the problem, I always left the hall light on so that I could go to sleep with some light in the room. Without that hall light, I would have grown up with great fear every night.
Today, I can’t go to sleep if there is any light at all in the room. Time changes many things. I’m no longer afraid of the dark.
But we all have fears in life. It might not be a fear of the dark, but there are many other things that cause us concern. How do we overcome fear? I believe Psalm 34:4 gives us a simple answer.
We overcome fear by admitting our fear
Whatever your fear is, it is important to admit it. In a world where we are encouraged to display self-sufficiency, we tend to mask our fear with a false sense of security. The truth is that some things scare us. I believe it is crucial to admit your fear so that you can face it and eventually overcome it.
It’s like being sick. If you have an illness but fail to admit it, there is a good chance it will progress and cause much more damage than if you had addressed it earlier.
Admitting your fear doesn’t mean that you can fix it on your own. It means that you face the reality that some things scare you. Maybe you fear losing your influence at your job. Perhaps you fear not looking good in front of others. Maybe you fear for your children. It could be that you are just fearful of failure. It’s possible that you are living in fear and don’t want to address it. Not confronting your fear is a big problem. So what do you do?
There are two specific ways God can help us overcome fear.
You overcome all fear by seeking the Lord
You must go to the source of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). The Lord is that source. I go to the doctor if I’m sick. I go to the mechanic if my car is sick. I go to the vet if my dog is sick. We need to go to the Lord when we fear.
Whatever your fear, the Lord is able and willing to handle it in a way that will bring the most honor to Him and encourage you to trust Him.
The Lord doesn’t want us to fear, but to trust Him in every situation (Proverbs 3:5-6). But do we seek the Lord when we have those fears, or do we try to handle them by ourselves? I have found that trying to handle things on my own becomes messy. It always works out better if I trust the Lord to handle those things.
Seeking the Lord means to ask with an expectation of an answer. It is critical to go to the One who can actually help us. When you pray, do you pray expecting the Lord to answer? You should because He will.
You overcome all fear by the Lord delivering you
The Lord delivers you. Did you hear that? Say this out loud. “The Lord delivers me from all my fears.” Name your fear to the Lord and ask Him to deliver you from it. Whatever your fears, the Lord promises to deliver you from them. Deliverance is a word that means to release from imprisonment.
Psalm 34:4 tells us that your fear imprisons you. Today, the Lord can release you from those fears. He can open the door of your imprisonment and give you freedom from fear. Give those fears to Him.
A simple prayer…
Lord, I am scared in many ways. You know my heart and how I need you to release me from these distractions in my life. Please take my fears away and give me comfort in the knowledge that you care enough about me to provide me with strength when fear begins to creep into my life.
Lord, you are the One who delivers me; I cannot do it on my own. So take my fear and replace it with unwavering trust in You, and I will give you all the praise for your great love towards me.
Amen…