For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand 
and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. — Isaiah 41:13

Fear can be an all out, guns blazing affair or a subtle thief that sneaks in and steals our joy. I realized this past weekend that fear had done just that to me lately—stolen my joy. I asked God to help me get it back, but I also needed to know what I’d allowed in the steal it away.

I don’t know about you, but fear is something I’ve had to battle from time to time. Fear of going new places, fear of what the future holds, fear of rejection, etc. I’d imagine you could add your own to that list.

As God spoke to my heart, I had to ask Him, what was I afraid of this time? What had I allowed to sneak in and steal my joy?

Worry. Fear. Anxiousness. Complete and utter lack of control of circumstances like never before.

More specifically, worry about the future of my youngest daughter, who now lives 3,000 miles away and is learning to make good decisions (that’s code for making not great ones but learning). Worry about our financial future in light of a year of little to no income. Worry about my mother’s health issues. Worry about getting all my work done and trying to contribute something to our financial picture.

Worry, worry, worry! I’d let the old bugger creep in and steal my joy. Again! And this came from fear of the unknown. I’d let my fear distract my focus from Jesus, and that left the door wide open for Worry to waltz in and make itself at home.

As I sat in Bible study later that morning, a question was posed to us. It was, “What’s one thing that would make you happy right now?”

I turned to my neighbor and said, “That my daughter would be okay.” And as I turned back around, I heard God’s small voice tell me, “I will do that for you.”

You know, God doesn’t just leave us with a command to not be afraid and then walk away. He jumps right in and takes our hand, holds us and gives us exactly what we need at just the right moment.

“I will do that for you.”

“I will help you.”

What are you afraid of right now? Have you reached out to God and told Him about your fears? Have you poured out your heart and grabbed hold of Him?

He’s already holding you. He has everything worked out. Most of the time we don’t know what that looks like, but we can trust God and believe Him.

Do you believe Him?

Praying and believing,
Dineen