“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
I was recently notified of a friend that has been battling a lot of pain as well as receiving a challenging diagnosis. It reminds me that nothing is guaranteed in this life. You can be the picture of health and beauty one day; then a few days later, be in a battle for your life.
But through a relationship with Jesus Christ, we can be guaranteed of companionship and help through life’s challenges. Notice that King David was not spared the adversity. He still had to go through the valley. But he had something that many do not. He could lay claim to the presence of God, which had a profound impact on his fear.
It is normal to be afraid. We encounter different things in our lives that produce anxiety within us. One of the basic reactions to fear is “fight or flight.”
But there’s something about the presence of Christ that makes fear dissipate. It lessens. It no longer has a stranglehold upon you.
In Mark 4, the disciples feared for their lives, while in the boat upon the Sea of Galilee. A storm had taken them by surprise, so they did what anyone would have done: they panicked. In Mark 4:38, we read: “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’”
Jesus then rose from his sleep and rebuked the wind and waves. And they immediately became calm.
What are you facing that is causing some fear within? Have you placed that thing or situation before God? Have you asked Jesus to help you as you go through it?
Central to Life 