Fearless Faith

Worry woke up, startled at 2:30 am. She thought she heard a noise downstairs and couldn’t remember if she’d locked all the doors earlier that night. Panic set in, as Worry had to wrestle out of the covers and venture the house on her own; her husband was out of town. Worry made it around the house, overcome with fear of the unknowns that lurked behind every corner— she realized that all was well and made it back up to bed. But, just as Worry had settled back in, she recalled she hadn’t checked on the kids, so Worry made it down the hall, desperate to hear them breathing peacefully—her littlest one had epilepsy and Worry constantly thought of the worst. Worry couldn’t imagine life without her precious child and too often it stole her joy in the moment. Worry tirelessly crawled back into bed and laid still, staring at the ceiling. Worry couldn’t go back to sleep. Worry’s mind wrestled with why her husband hadn’t called that night and why he seemed so distant lately. As one thought exited, another one entered, and she realized she had not heard back from her doctor on the biopsy of a lump that she had found. Worry tried, endlessly, to stop the thoughts from bombarding her mind so that she could get some sleep, but nothing worked. What could Worry do to help calm her mind, when the stack of unpaid bills on the kitchen counter only grew higher day by day? Worry looked at the clock and it was now 4:30am. She had to be up by 5:30am to get the kids ready for school and rush to a job that held no security—pink slips were going out over the next week. So, Worry got up to begin the day, wondering exactly how she would make it through.
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What advice would you give to Worry? Maybe you’d simply find the opportunity to blast your faith at her and tell her to just “Trust God.” Well, in a world that is overcome with daily debilitating adversities, those words offer little help and even less hope. You see, Worry always has more questions than answers; more fear than faith.

So, if you see Worry, or if you’re struggling with fear and have befriended Worry, take the necessary steps to walk in victory through every valley and have “fearless faith”:

1. Pray. Don’t allow the possibilities of tragedy to overwhelm you. Don’t sit down to a cup of coffee with the enemy, instead fall upon your knees in helpless dependence upon the God of impossibilities. There is nothing that God cannot do. Trust Him and cast “[all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him…” (1 Peter 5:7 AMP)

2. Rest in the Lord. Jesus has promised to give you peace, but not as the world gives. He gives a peace that “surpasses all understanding.” When you continually take your life to the foot of the Cross, you can gaze into His eyes and find true rest in knowing that He has risen and is able to save you. “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” (Psalm 37:7 NIV)

3. Focus on today. God’s grace is sufficient for the moment. He hasn’t given you grace for tomorrow; He’ll give that to you in the precise moment that you need it. God is never late, so don’t worry that He won’t show up on time. If you think He’s missed His opportunity to work miracles in your life, you should know that you’ve just been set up to witness an even greater miracle if you continue to trust. “Let us therefore boldly approach the throne of our gracious God, where we may receive mercy, and his grace find timely help.” (Hebrews 4:16 NEB)

4. Trust that God is enough. Jesus performed many miracles and calmed a few storms, yet even His closest followers still had times of doubt. I guess changing water to wine just wasn’t enough; feeding the five thousand, making the lame walk, the dumb talk, and walking on the water didn’t seem to get the point across either. As you reflect on how God has brought you through your past valleys in life, what more must He do to prove Himself? Trust that God knows your needs. He is mighty to save and He will rescue you as you diligently trust in Him. “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:32-33 NLT)