God conquers fear
It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
If God is walking before us or with us, why would we be afraid of anything? And yet, we often feel afraid.
How do you know that other people are afraid? Well, because you are afraid, too. One of the greatest realizations you can make is that everybody is afraid or insecure sometimes. It helps you to feel less alone and to realize that you have power over your own destiny.
The Lord goes before you
God knows about everything that you experience in this life. The Devil always tries to make us feel isolated. He wants us to feel overburdened, but to run away from help. He wants us to feel alone because discouragement is one of his greatest tools.
God, on the other hand, wants us to feel accompanied. He loves us and wants to give himself to us always. He is willing to face the greatest difficulties if that is going to pave the road for us. God goes before us always.
The Lord will be with you
Psalm 23 reminds us that God is always with us. It is a good psalm to read when we are sad or lonely. God compares himself to the Good Shepherd because he is concerned with making us whole. When a sheep would fall and break its leg, the shepherd would bind it up. In the same way, God comes to bind our wounds and make us whole.
The Lord will never forsake you
The language feels a little old, but the message is encouraging. We are afraid that others will turn their backs on us. We live in a world that seems to be ruled by abandonment and betrayal. God breaks the mold on this. He does not betray us. He will never forsake us. Jesus chooses to die on the Cross, before allowing us to suffer the punishments of Hell. And yet, sometimes we still have trouble believing in the incredible mercy of God.
Fear has a way of paralyzing us. Fear triggers a strong physical reaction. Maybe our pace quickens. Our temperature may rise and we may sweat. But fear also raises our level of alertness and allows us to respond well. Fear can bring us to trust when someone we trust is protecting us. Hopefully, we have enough trust in the Lord for him to rescue us from fear. A true prayer life is one of the best ways to overcome fear.
