Fear is a normal and vital response to physical and emotional danger; if we didn’t feel it, we couldn’t protect ourselves from legitimate threats. But often times, we fear situations that are far from life-or-death situations yet we hold on to our fear for no good reason.
As a young child I have memories of waking up in the middle of the night fearing the darkness and quietness of my room. On occasion I would call out to my mom or dad hoping they would come to console me. As was always the case, they did. The comfort of hearing my mother or father’s gentle voice assuring me that all was well soothed my fears and allowed me to go back to sleep. I believe this is how I first experienced God’s love.
But the point in my life when I began to understand the power of this truth was during my college years. At the end of each semester there would be projects to complete, papers to write, and exams to take. The anxiety and downright fear of not getting my work done could be overwhelming. At some point a friend said to me, “try prayer, it helps!” So I learned that if I found myself getting panicked and anxiety ridden, I would say a quick prayer asking for the strength just to get the work done. And amazingly it worked!
I have always enjoyed reading passages from the book of Psalms because many of the verses read as poetry or as lyrics to a song. The passage for today’s devotion is no exception and is even referred to as one of the “Song of Ascents”. These psalms were sung starting in a low tone of voice; steadily ascending to a higher one. Apparently there are varying interpretations of the origins of the meaning of this title but the author’s words are unmistakable and vividly express the strength and reassurance we find in God’s eternal love as protector from our fears.
Written by Stan Anthony
No comments:
Post a Comment