When I Am Afraid

Fears are huge when you are little. In my child’s mind, each car trip over a bridge brought with it a possibility to crash over the side into the deep, murky water below! I was also sure that I would get stuck in the doors of those elevators we had to board in the city. But the biggest fear I faced from the time I was a very young child was the fear of death. I was filled with unrelenting terror that I might die in the night, while I slept. My mother thought it was probably connected to a bedtime prayer we had quoted: “If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” That led me to frequently beg my mother to sleep with me, for I reasoned that if she was there, nothing would hurt me.

As you can imagine, that only led to many trips for my mom and little sleep for us both. One night, my frustrated mother tried a new technique by reminding me of Psalm 56:3, a verse I had just learned in Vacation Bible School: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You” (nasb). She challenged me to repeat those words over and over until I could believe them to be true. I realize now that she was teaching me the spiritual discipline of meditating on God’s Word, of concentrating carefully on every word of God.

I obeyed until exhaustion caused me to fall asleep. But very soon, the simple words began to penetrate my heart. Instead of focusing on the fear of what might happen, my thoughts were being centered on God’s Word. As David faced his enemies by trusting God’s promises and looked to Him in trust, I realized I could do the same. The fears of my childhood fled, replaced with the radiance of His presence and with blessed sleep! Now, when fear threatens to overwhelm me, the simple words of that verse repeat over and over in my mind once again, renewing my confidence and faith in Him. Truly, He has “delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4, nasb)!

Heavenly Father, I realize today that I may face something that could cause me to be afraid. Please remind me of the truth of Your Word, the steadfastness of Your presence, and the power of Your Spirit. Awaken trust within my heart that I will not be overcome by that fear. Amen.