I’ll
never forget my childhood fear that the clothes thrown on my chair would turn
into a shadowy dragon-like figure after my bedroom lights were turned off. My
early experience of fear-driven insomnia reminds me that when trouble arrives
on the doorstep of life, fear is not our friend. It disables us from moving
forward and causes us to shrink from doing what is right—unless we have our
eyes fixed on Jesus.
When the
disciples faced the raging seas that were threatening to sweep them overboard,
Jesus, walking on the water, assured them, “It is I; do not be afraid” (Matt.
14:27). And to His followers who were fearfully locked away in a room after His
crucifixion, Jesus appeared and asked, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts
arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:38). Recognizing the inevitability of trials,
He said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world” (John 16:33). The point is clear. Trusting in His presence
and power is the antidote to fear.
As the familiar hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” We can rest peacefully in the knowledge that God is with us.
in the midst of life’s storms. (RBC)
