No Matter What

"God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging."

Psalm 46:1-3

Think of your worst, your greatest fear.  Got a picture of it?  Okay, now, how will you face it?  If it came to pass, what would you do?

The answer is, "God."  He is how you and I face our greatest fear realized.

Refuge.  Wherever I am, He is there.  There is nowhere I can go where His Spirit is not there also (Psalm 139:7-11).  If I sink into the darkest depths of despair, He is there.  If I rise to the heights of success, He is there.  If I run far away in an effort to prove my worth by finding my own way, He is there.

My Father is always there.  It's not just that He is omnipresent, which He is.  Rather, it's the fact that His heart is always there with me.  He is a romantic, constantly seeking me out, as afraid I am of intimacy.  No matter how much I fear revealing the dark things found in the deepest parts of me, He is there.  And He is safe.  

I can trust Him with my greatest fears!  He will not turn away in disgust, withdrawing His love out of disappointment.  No!  I am secure in His steadfast love.  So secure that I can open up myself to Him and share it all with Him.  He is my refuge.  When no one else understands, He does.  When I feel abandoned by all, He is there.  When fear grips my heart, giving me an ugly countenance, He sees me as beautiful in the midst of the distress.

When facing my greatest fears, God is my safe place where I will always be accepted as a well-loved child.

Strength.  My greatest fear saps me of energy.  It leaves me helpless and vulnerable.  In the face of it, I lose all ability to think rationally, to push through the wall that rises up, to carry on.  Even though I loathe quitting, I want nothing more than to give up, letting the failure come because I think it's so much better than what I dread.

If I keep my eyes on my Father, however, as He stands steadfast in love before me, I will have the strength I need to persevere.  What seemed so impossible suddenly becomes possible in the presence of my Savior.  He rescues me from hopelessness and delivers me into a new realm where I can put one foot in front of the other, moving toward what scares me.  Instead of backing off, as is my natural self-preserving inclination, I have been given the supernatural ability to endure, to withstand the storm, to persist (Isaiah 40:28-31).

When facing my greatest fears, God is my source of strength to face my fears as I grow in His love for me.

Ever-present.  Soldiers spend a lot of time caring for their weapon.  When in combat, their firearm is their best friend, their hope for survival, their greatest ally.  Therefore, they want to make sure it works properly, that it can be counted on.  It is tested often, cleaned regularly, and maintained consistently.  When it is needed, it must work; their life depends on it!

When I'm facing what weakens my knees with fright, I want to know without a doubt that God is trustworthy and constant.  If I'm going to put my faith in Him, it will be with the understanding that He can be counted on.  I must realize that He will never let me down.

When I comprehend these aspects of God; His faithfulness, His proven dependability, His willingness to help me when I call on Him, I will be able to put my life in His hands.  He is exactly who He says He is in His Word.  He is close to the brokenhearted, hears me when I cry out to Him, and is my source of hope (Psalm 34:18, Psalm 18:6, Psalm 62:5).

When facing my greatest fears, God can be counted on as a well-proven presence in my life as I place my trust wholly in Him.

It's hard to think about facing that which sends my heart into panic.  If my greatest fear is realized, it will not be the end.  God will be my answer as I discover how safe He is, that His strength can be mine, and He is a constant presence that can be counted on.  In these ways, even though I'm in the middle of my worst nightmare, I'm finding that He is the answer, no matter what.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep close to the God who is always close to me.

When do I pull away from God, uncomfortable with His advances?

What do I fear the most and spend a lot of energy avoiding?