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“A lot of us right now are so fearful.”

A thought by Ed Young, from his book, The Fear Virus: Vaccinating Yourself Against Life's Greatest Phobias (p.23). Creality Publishing. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

But we don’t need to stay that way, do we?

Ed says, “We are in such turmoil, so apprehensive and anxious. Our heavenly Father is saying to us right now, ‘Trust me, I’m in control, I will get you through this and I will show you the way. You are safe with me. I know the way home.’

“It’s one thing to trust God in times of plenty; we can sing worship songs about His goodness all day long. It’s a completely different thing to trust God in times of lack, times of want, times of fear. In times like these, we all need the reminder that God is trustworthy.”

He goes on, “Do you know what the word trust means? Our English word trust comes from an Indo-European root word meaning ‘to be solid,’ which is also the source of our word tree. If you want to be firmly planted, if you want to have deep roots, if you want your life to be solid, sturdy, and firm, then trust God. He is the only One who deserves our trust; He will never let us down. Placing your trust in yourself is like trusting in a daisy. When one of life’s storms comes, your roots aren’t going to be deep enough to remain planted. You will be uprooted and washed away. Only God is worthy of our trust.

“One section of Scripture has been the theme Scripture for the Young family for generations. It’s Proverbs 3:5-6: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight’ (NASB).”

He continues, “When we lean on our own understanding, we are in trouble. We are powerless. We are like the man building his house on shaky foundations that can’t withstand trials. Our own understanding is so easily plagued by fear. But when we lean on God’s understanding—lean into His love—we are powerful. We are firm. We look at our fears through the lens of His love. What a message of hope.”

Ed then says, “We trust God by getting on our knees, naming our fears, taking our thoughts captive, and praying for His wisdom and guidance. God will navigate the snakes of life for us, we just have to trust Him and follow His guidance. When we pray, we are admitting our shortcomings and submitting to His will and control. Philippians 4:6 says: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’ Does this say just in tragedies? Does this say just in catastrophic things? Does this say when you are getting ready to close the big deal or undergo major surgery? No, it says, in every situation, pray. And then look what will happen: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, emphasis added).”

And that is what we needed to hear at the beginning of this new week, isn’t it?

Yes, yes!
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