Empower

Empower

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

“DAD!” A small, panicked voice echoed from the bedroom across the hall. As my husband rolled out of bed, the clock glowed with a time well past midnight.

Shadows. They’d become suddenly sinister in the eyes of our preschooler, causing terror night after night. We’d searched our memories, unable to pinpoint when and how and where fear first planted its seed, and what triggered the sudden onslaught.

I’d find myself whispering explanations and logic into little ears before bed each night, trying to empower him with knowledge and logic, trying to break the stranglehold fear had gained over my beloved child. Even as I prayed over the dreams and sleep of someone I love beyond words, my own silent, pleading prayer was banging around inside my head: Lord, I do not want this for my child! And the responsive thought that immediately flitted across my mind was this: “Daughter, I do not want this for any of my children.”

Fear prevents us from becoming the greatest version of ourselves. It sneaks deep inside, twisting us up and holding us captive. Let me be clear: God does not want fear to hold us captive, but we are not shamed for being fearful. Instead, God empowers us to push back against fear, equipping us with spiritual truths to stand firm against it. And, because God is the Creator of all, including science and medicine, he has given us earthly tools in the form of godly therapists and pharmaceuticals to address trauma and rebalance hormones that can sometimes be the root of fear.

He empowers us to face our fears, to stand strong and with courage, but he never makes us stand alone. He promises in Joshua 1:9, Psalm 27:1, Isaiah 41:10, John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7, and in so many other verses that he is with us in this battle, always. Always.

Lord, thank you for empowering us against fear while promising to stand with us as we face it. May the truth of your promise sink in deep into every crevice of our soul. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: Pick your favorite Scripture about fear and write it out, posting it on your bathroom mirror so you can read it and see yourself at the same time.