So much to fear, so little time!

“Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,”
-Proverbs 3:25

I usually don’t watch the news. I will glance through the news stories every day online to keep up, but I just can’t take thirty minutes of reporting that says the sky is falling.

Which is usually what it is. There is so much we could fear in this world, and the media latch onto every bit of it to keep us watching. In the last couple of years it has been global warming, swine flu, SARS, recession, depression, the dangers of tap water, war, nuclear bombs, hurricanes, tornados, firestorms, flooding, gangs, drugs, terrorism, banks failing, car manufacturers failing, businesses failing, identity theft, healthcare issues, poverty, the housing crisis, and so much more.

It has become common, at least where I live, to see someone walking around with a medical mask over his face to protect him from whatever germs or viruses may be around. People are panicking that they won’t be employed next week.

You know what? On one level it’s all legitimate. Almost everything on my list above is a legitimate concern.

And worrying about it doesn’t make one bit of difference.

Because on the other hand, none of our fear over this stuff is legitimate. It’s not legitimate because there is God, and “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

When I was young, Hurricane Alisha came through Houston, but though I was young, I did not fear. I wasn’t afraid because I was with my father, and I knew he would protect me. As far as I recall, the only time I was really afraid during the whole thing was when my father went outside in the store to do something in the yard (I do not remember what). My parents may correct my memory on this, but I distinctly remember feeling safe with him.

So it is with our Father in Heaven. The only difference it, God never leaves to go do something in the yard. He is always here, always with me, and He has far more power than my dad.

If we just look at our situations, there are plenty of reasons to fear. But in faith we look to Him who controls all things, and we can believe that He will guide us through safely to Himself. Not even death can separate us from Him.

That is not to say the sudden terror won’t come. They will. But it is not they that control our fate. Our lives are in the hands of Jesus, who died as a ransom for us.

And this glorious promise is only for those who do have faith. If you have not repented and believed in Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sins, then the sudden terrors may be reason to fear. Trust Him instead, and He will guide you.