Relax!

Isaiah 43: ² “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

Do not be afraid! Instead have the kind of confidence, the God kind of confidence that is hinged in God’s truth. Why? You should not be afraid because as a child of God, you never go through crisis alone. The choice to tap into God or not is another thing entirely. But be confident about this very thing, you never go through crisis alone. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. If God is near then there is no fear. Since God is near then there is no fear. You and I must be focused on God’s closeness.

The second practical way to banish the fear of unexpected crisis is to relax in God’s care. Mark 1:³⁸ “Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” [with emphasis]. When we go through crisis, the first thing we tend to do is to question God’s care and God’s love for us. Why do I have to go through this if God loves me? Do not question God’s care because God’s love is unexplainable. None of us can really wrap our minds around how wide, how long, how high, and how deep God’s love is. Focus on the fact that God is not only near but God cares, and just relax!

Ps.112:⁶ “Such a man will not be overthrown by evil circumstances. God’s constant care of him will make a deep impression on all who see it. ⁷ He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him. ⁸ That is why he is not afraid but can calmly face his foes” [LB, with emphasis]. Settle it in your heart that God will constantly take care of you. And let this truth, the truth of God’s perfect love, banish fear from your life completely.

One thing that the disciples did right was that they took their fears to Jesus. Even though they prayed the wrong prayer and they questioned God’s care, at least they went to Jesus. They did not pray to St. Peter, or to Mary, or into a candle, or chant, or rely on a talisman, or a prophet; they went to Jesus.

Prayer: Be still my soul for the Lord Jesus is near and He will take care of you, even until your hair is grey, in Jesus Name!