When I am Afraid I will Trust in You
Several years back I discovered some wonderful children's praise & worship music which set words of Scripture to music. They were called Hide'm In Your Heart; by now I am sure there are more. One of the verses he put to music was Psalm 56:3,
"When I am afraid, I will trust in You."
It's a sweet little catchy tune, and I find I sing it to myself frequently.
Today was one of those times. It's the end of May, my work in the public schools is finished, I have lots to focus on in the next eight weeks, yet my financial flow will change, my next step is unknown and this can cause a level of insecurity and fear to rise. Its pretty normal for all of us. Yet today, as I felt that vulnerable feeling pushing it's way into my soul, I sang this little verse, and turned it into a prayer.
"Lord, I am afraid because of this shift; I will trust You to provide, guide, and sustain me in these next few weeks of the summer. Thank You that You are bigger than my fear and that even when I feel afraid, I can trust You are near, caring for me."
I mused over that a little. Being or feeling afraid is not a sin. It is human, an emotion. In the midst of fear we can trust! Often times, we feel like we must push that fear away and just NOT BE FEARFUL. And, yes, there are many times in Scripture that it says, "do not be afraid." If fear or any emotion takes the lead, that is when we must heed His warning. When He says "do not be afraid" ("Be Strong and courageous") to Joshua, or Mary the mother of Jesus, or whoever it was in the Word, it seems God is saying, keep moving! Keep Fighting! Keep standing! Keep obeying! Fear if heeded will freeze us. It then becomes an obstacle to obedience, which is believing that He is with us and always good, trustworthy to get us through, to fulfill His promise.
When I worked with kids on the challenge course at camp, they would often come to an impasse with the wall or a climbing challenge. They would literally freeze with the ropes in their hands or stand staring at the height of the wall. One question that would usually help them get through their fear was, "what would you do if you were not afraid?" As one friend answered that question recently, "I would take a lot more risks!"
So, I write all this to say, I am anticipating what God has in store for me in yet another summer! I anticipate how He will provide, guide, direct and move in my life. He has not ever failed me. He holds the unknowns and He holds my hand with each step. Let us not lose heart as we continue trusting Him!
"When I am afraid, I will trust in You."
It's a sweet little catchy tune, and I find I sing it to myself frequently.
Today was one of those times. It's the end of May, my work in the public schools is finished, I have lots to focus on in the next eight weeks, yet my financial flow will change, my next step is unknown and this can cause a level of insecurity and fear to rise. Its pretty normal for all of us. Yet today, as I felt that vulnerable feeling pushing it's way into my soul, I sang this little verse, and turned it into a prayer.
"Lord, I am afraid because of this shift; I will trust You to provide, guide, and sustain me in these next few weeks of the summer. Thank You that You are bigger than my fear and that even when I feel afraid, I can trust You are near, caring for me."
I mused over that a little. Being or feeling afraid is not a sin. It is human, an emotion. In the midst of fear we can trust! Often times, we feel like we must push that fear away and just NOT BE FEARFUL. And, yes, there are many times in Scripture that it says, "do not be afraid." If fear or any emotion takes the lead, that is when we must heed His warning. When He says "do not be afraid" ("Be Strong and courageous") to Joshua, or Mary the mother of Jesus, or whoever it was in the Word, it seems God is saying, keep moving! Keep Fighting! Keep standing! Keep obeying! Fear if heeded will freeze us. It then becomes an obstacle to obedience, which is believing that He is with us and always good, trustworthy to get us through, to fulfill His promise.
When I worked with kids on the challenge course at camp, they would often come to an impasse with the wall or a climbing challenge. They would literally freeze with the ropes in their hands or stand staring at the height of the wall. One question that would usually help them get through their fear was, "what would you do if you were not afraid?" As one friend answered that question recently, "I would take a lot more risks!"
So, I write all this to say, I am anticipating what God has in store for me in yet another summer! I anticipate how He will provide, guide, direct and move in my life. He has not ever failed me. He holds the unknowns and He holds my hand with each step. Let us not lose heart as we continue trusting Him!
Comments
P.S. If he leads you to Florida over the summer, please lets get together!