Surrounded by Fear
Posted in: Marriage
Surrounded! And, yet…
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. (Psalm 23:4)I love the sci-fi and fantasy shows where demons take form and the heroine leaps in center-stage to vanquish them. The demons clean up nicely, being staked into dust or sent back to hell. I can’t help it. There is something therapeutic about watching evil lose. And not the long drawn out battle of a millennium or more, but nice and quick, wrapped up in a 30-minute episode or, for the really horrific ones, a season or two.
Fear abounds
There has been a great deal of fear in the media recently. Evil suddenly seems to be lurking behind every corner.
I’m constantly hearing “terrorism wins when we succumb to the fear.” How true! Here at Ft. Bliss, located on the border of Juarez, my Facebook feed is filled with terror. Lock the doors! ISIS is at our borders! Ebola is coming!
The weary words of spouses, “Why are they sending him to NTC? Shouldn’t he be home protecting us?” or “I have a gun and I’m packed if I need to flee,” come from a place of fear.
Sometimes, if I’m honest, I feel helpless. Prayer sometimes feels like empty words falling on deaf ears. I want to take up my own sword, to vanquish my unseen enemy, and to tidy up this messy life. I want the power in my own hands, though they lack strength. I want the knowledge to destroy fear, though I lack wisdom. I want to be the hero, though I lack discipline. I want control, but I don’t want the responsibility.
Here’s the thing.
Evil isn’t suddenly lurking around every corner. Evil has been here from the beginning. Every human being who has walked this earth, whether a believer in Christ or not, has had to combat evil in some form. Our soldiers face it in the foxholes while we battle it in other forms on the home front.
We’ve been surrounded on all sides since the beginning of time. And yet, I feel safe.
There is one who is triumphant whether or not I am still breathing by the end of today. There is one who will stand victorious whether or not I stand on His side. There is one who without weapons or athletic ability can slay multitudes of demons with only a simple word. He does not need me. And yet He goes out of His way to say to me, “Do not be afraid. I am here.”
He guides me in the midst of my enemies and He gives me peace. He leads me through the valley of death and I fear no evil. His guidance and His presence, His loving kindness and His authority bring me comfort.
Fear comes when I try to take back control, when I say to myself God isn’t doing His job well. Peace and comfort come knowing that my salvation has already been paid for. The worst the enemy can do is kill this body. They cannot have the days ordained on this earth to live for Christ. They will not rob me of the comfort that comes knowing that God is stronger.