Chaos, Fear & Worry
If you’re paying attention to the news, it feels as though the entire world is on the brink of utter destruction. Consuming too many headlines will produce an anxious person. The chaos you take in will be the chaos that you feel and that chaos will eventually rule your life.
Whether you’re facing difficult circumstances or feeling the effects of rising costs or walking through change or just scared about the future; living in fear & worry will keep you stuck in fear & worry.
I’m not saying that feeling afraid is a bad thing, per se, as it’s a natural response to certain circumstances. What I am saying however, is that an over abundance of fear & worry will eventually lead to the unraveling of one’s health; spiritually, emotionally, physically and otherwise.
God Is In Control
Staying stuck in fear will only harm you. When we hold onto fear and let it grip us, rule us and distract us; we are not trusting God. In fact when our fear is greater than our trust in God, we’re actually in a power struggle with Him. It’s not easy to learn to trust God completely but it’s a necessary step in moving beyond fear. We must first realize that God is in control and we are not.
A Psalm Of Comfort: For When You Feel Afraid
Whatever scary situation you’re facing, you are not alone. We are told in the Bible time and time again that God is with us. One of my favorite examples of this is Psalm 121.
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
God Is Always With You
In the Psalm, we are told to look to God for our help, and reminded that he is in control of all things. As we face whatever situation, hardship, or battle we’re up against, He is watching over us and protecting us just as a good Father does. Just as a parent walking behind a wobbly toddler taking their first steps, keeps their arms out in order to catch their baby’s fall, so does God walk beside us in every trial that we face. How comforting to know that the God of all creation, maker of Heaven and Earth, is always with us! God is so good!
You Are Not Alone
When the headlines keep you up at night, you are not alone.
When another shooting causes you to fear large crowds, you are not alone.
When the doctor delivers a terrible diagnosis, you are not alone.
When the anesthesiologist asks you to countdown from ten, you are not alone.
When the circumstances of your life change, you are not alone.
When you stand at the grave site, you are not alone.
When you fail yourself or those who depend on you, you are not alone.
When plans fall through, you are not alone.
When the fear of the unknown overwhelms you, you are not alone.
No matter what you are afraid of friend, you are not alone.
Faith Over Fear
The knowledge that God is with us through every storm that we may face, must drive us to a choice when we’re standing in the middle of that storm, worn out and drenched. Will we stay stuck in that fear or will we choose to put our trust in the God who is neither moved by chaos, nor surprised by bad news nor overcome by evil?
The thing about faith is that when we place it above our fear, we are choosing to hope in God’s strength & might and love for us, rather than becoming captured by perpetual terror. Faith over fear is the only way out of fear. Knowing that God loves us and is always with us, helps us to trust Him and say, “Not my will God, but yours.”
Beautifully written. Fear is a real struggle for my husband, and Psalm 121 is a perfect Psalm to pray over him. Thanks for the reminder to take that more seriously..
So beautifully said! Psalm 121 is my favorite psalm!
Hi. Wonderful post! We all have fear at one time or another. This is a good reminder not to let it envelope us. Thank you.
Beautiful post my sister! The spirit of fear is one that can be scary until we’ve learned how to steward it, to speak God’s words to it. One of the verses that I quote often and immediately when the spirit of fear comes around is 1 John 4:18 “Perfect Love Casts out Fear.” When I speak that, I can feel immediately that the spirit of fear has left my presence. Thank you for this beautiful post!
Thankful for a God who’s perfect love casts out fear. Thank you for the beautiful encouragement.
This is a wonderful Psalm. Reading it slowly today refreshed my soul! Thank you for leading us into the Word, friend! Your writing blesses me!
This is one of my favorite Psalms. I could automatically feel peace all over me when I started to read it. Thanks for reminding us that God is in control. We can trust Him.
A beautiful Psalm I love so much. A beautiful reminder to always keep my eyes on God. Help, comfort and long lasting blessings come from him alone.
“The chaos you take in will be the chaos that you feel and that chaos will eventually rule your life.” This is SO true. My hubby and I used to watch Fox news but finally we realized we need to shut this thing down for our own mental and emotional health. This is beautifully written dear friend!
Thank you, Donna! And wise choice to turn down the “noise”. I’ve certainly had to step away from much of the news over the last few years as well. It can take a toll for sure.