Scared

The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Psalm 121:5-8

HAVE YOU EVER felt scared lying in bed at night, as if something horrible hung over your head or the knell of doom had sounded on your life?

All of us have been paralyzed by fear at one time or other. Fear of losing our jobs. Fear of troubles in our marriage. Fear of never meeting the right person to marry. Fear for our children or fear that we’ll never be able to have children. Fear of being robbed or hurt or killed in a crime gone wrong. Fear of losing a loved one. How does one deal with that kind of crippling fear?

Meditating on this psalm is a good starting place. It speaks of how God watches over each of us. Even in the dark of night, when fear and worry seem to surround and overwhelm you, the Lord keeps watch over you. Earlier in the psalm, we are told that the Lord “never slumbers or sleeps” (verse 4). That means, whether you are scared in the middle of the day or in the dark of night, God will always be standing guard to protect you.

The next time fear strikes, think of this psalm. God is there watching. He never sleeps. He never grows weary. His promise is that he is always there.