Back in the days before automobiles, there was a man and wife who lived rather far out away from all of their relatives, and they usually were only able to make the long horse and buggy ride to visit their relatives once a year at Christmas. In order for them to make this journey, they had to cross several streams and other obstacles, which were trouble enough with a horse and buggy. However there was one wide river they had to cross that had a crudely built, rickety old bridge as the only means across. As the man and wife road along in their horse and buggy in the cold winter weather, they began to discuss the old bridge, and how they had almost broken through in years past. They began to worry and be afraid about the condition of the bridge and if they should even try to make it this year. Their thoughts and conversation drove them to anxiety until it seemed they almost turned around and went home. However, when they got to where the old bridge was supposed to be, they were amazed to see that in the year since their last crossing, the old bridge had been torn down and now a brand new bridge was in its place. They had spent all that time worrying and being afraid of something that was completely unwarranted. The old bridge they feared and became anxious about wasn’t even there!
You know, that’s the same thing with many Christians. We worry and become anxious about all sort of things. Fear is the one thing that keeps most of us from living the Christian life the way it should be lived. We’re afraid people might laugh at us or reject us, so we don’t talk to them about God. We’re afraid we’ll lose our position in life or our closest friends if we start to live the way the Bible tells us to live. We fear the true cost of actually following Jesus, so we just kind of try to keep our distance. We are afraid life will be too dull and boring if we give up the pleasures and cares of this world. We fear all sort of things when the Bible tells us clearly NOT to fear ANYTHING except displeasing and disobeying God.
As a true Christian, we have Almighty God as our companion in life. He has promised NEVER to leave us, NEVER to allow any harm to come to us that is not part of His perfect plan, and when we follow Him and obey Him, he has promised to ALWAYS meet and supply EVERYTHING we need! What is there to be afraid of? We too often look at this life through the eyes of the world and the eyes we used to look through BEFORE we became a Christian.
When fear, worry, and anxiety start to flood your life and your thoughts, remember these verses:
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4)
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6)
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.” (Psalm 56:3-5)
Trust God, Obey His Word, Follow Him – and you have NOTHING to fear! All fear truly is is doubting that God will be true to His Word, and that is sin!