Facing Fear & Finding Hope
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This blog post is a part of our “Finding Series.”
Our goal for this series is to cultivate a whole-hearted, passionate pursuit of knowing and loving Jesus no matter the season of life.
Some weird things have happened globally and locally.
Personally, I call it crazytown. 😅
Have you been there? Are you there now?
Have the headlines troubled you to the point of fearfully hoarding food and toilet paper? 🧻
Do you fear if life will ever be the same again?
Do you fear losing the comforts you’ve grown to love? ✋🏽
Do you fear suffering?
I know I have. Fear is powerful, yet can be binding. Fear easily overpowers and debilitates.
Here are some thoughts I wrote in my journal a few weeks after the pandemic of 2020 hit that I’d like to share with you.
I think this pandemic is showing what controls people. From what I’ve observed in life and social media, so many people act because of fear and speak in a fearful way. Have I feared? Yes, definitely. Especially when the 5.7M earthquake happened. I was so afraid and struggled with earthquake anxiety for weeks. But it opened my eyes to what I let myself come under.
(Let’s be honest here… it’s been years since I felt this real earthquake, yet I still occasionally feel “phantom earthquakes” followed by some googling to see if it was real or just my imagination. But the truths I’m going to share that helped me in the aftermath of crazytown, continually help me even today.)
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
Jesus has set me free from the bondage of fear and has empowered me through His Spirit to live boldly and love boldly. Even though headlines are getting worse, Jesus is helping me find so much hope and strength in his good sovereign hand.
I may not be able to see the virus, but God sees it. God knows exactly where it is and who it will affect. He is in complete control. And while we don’t know when it will end, as Christians we don’t have to fear that it will never end. There is a designated end to all this world’s brokenness (Revelation 21:4).
While initially I was fearful — and perhaps I will be again, especially if someone I know and love gets the virus — I’ve been encouraged by God’s work in my heart.
Some verses that have been my mainstay:
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Isaiah 26:3-4
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
James 1:2-4
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
(All Scripture quotations are from the ESV.)
In conclusion, amidst the strange and unsettling events happening globally and locally, fear has the power to bind and debilitate us.
However, there is hope and strength to be found in Jesus, who has set us free from the bondage of fear.
As Christians, we can take comfort in knowing that God is in control, even when the headlines worsen. Though we may not see the end of these trying times, we can trust that there is a designated end to all the brokenness in this world.
It is through God's work in our hearts that we can find encouragement and peace. The verses from the Bible, such as Psalm 23, Isaiah 26:3-4, Psalm 56:3, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, and James 1:2-4, remind us of God's faithfulness, His perfect peace, and the eternal perspective we should hold onto during trials.
Let us find a firm foundation in God’s Word and trust in the Lord, knowing that He is our everlasting Rock.
May these encouraging thoughts encourage you and remind you of Jesus in challenging times.
Soli Deo gloria,
Kathy
What are your go-to Bible verses when hard things hit?
If you found this helpful, please share!
As a mom who’s suffered the loss of my baby, I know deep heart pain.
I tried to run from God, but he convinced me of his love and comforted my heart with hope and healing in Jesus.
Now, it’s my mission to share this same comfort with others who’ve experienced the pain of miscarriage and infant loss.
