Fear Not, God Heals In Surprising Ways

Fear Not, God Heals In Surprising Ways

The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you. He will strike down many kings when his anger erupts. Psalm 110:5

When I entered the hospital room and saw the empty bed, it took me a second to locate Becky, who was cowering in the corner with her face to the wall. She didn’t respond to my greeting.

“She’s been like this for twenty minutes,” whispered the nurse.

“Why are you crying?” I asked. Becky’s rocking increased, and she refused to look at me.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Nothin’ to say.”

Her answers to my questions were short, to the point, and noncommittal. But her face told me something was wrong. The flow of tears was slowed only by the occasional swipe of her sleeve across her face. Looking at her closely, I could see the fear in her eyes. Becky was terrified. She was in the midst of a full-blown panic attack.

“Becky,” I said softly, “What are you afraid of?”

“I don’t know?”

The questioning tone of her answer confirmed my hunch. Though Becky didn’t have an answer for calming her fears, fortunately I did, thanks to some good research on mood disorders from Dr. Rick Shelton, a psychiatrist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. From Dr. Shelton’s work, I knew that panic disorders affected many people, but also that there were some helpful treatment guidelines to follow.

When confronted with a patient like Becky, whose fear was overwhelming, the first thing I did was pray that God would reveal his protective nature and help alleviate her symptoms. I’m pretty sure that Dr. Shelton would recommend the same course of action because during the years when he was a professor at Vanderbilt, he was also my Sunday school teacher.

God protects and heals us in surprising ways—including using our brothers and sisters in Christ.

TODAY’S RX

When fear claws at your heart, remember that God is the greatest heart surgeon, and he is always on call.

Jesus, lift me from the strongholds of panic and distress. Help my heart to be still. Embrace me and reassure me of your love.