Fear... It's a Scary Thought

I have been afraid of many different things since I was little. My "fear list" has included bats, (the flying mammal kind,) doctors, winks unaccompanied by a smile, librarians, tall men with mustaches, any step higher than the 3rd on a ladder, the color red, rice-a-roni (yes, really!) driving in sleet, being an old maid, spiders in the shower, any of my brothers creeping up behind me on a dark night, and angry underfed green kangaroos carrying monkey wrenches. (Okay not really... but it's a scary thought! :)

More recently my fears have been more of a different type. I tend to worry much too hard about what people think and how they interpret my words or actions. I make blunders, or think I do, and then agonize over how it came across. I am afraid of what people think. I am also afraid of my future, I am afraid of making a unrepairable mistake, I am afraid of being hurt, I am afraid of hurting others.

Yes, I have many fears, and I suppose there will always be something to be afraid of - yet He gives me the promise that I can trust Him when I am afraid. The hard thing is letting go of what I want enough to trust Him. My Lord tells me not to be afraid and He promises never to leave me or forsake me, (Deuteronomy 31:6.) He promises to keep me in perfect peace; as long as my mind is stayed on Him. (Isaiah 26:3.) He reminds me, "The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 118:6.)

If I believe that my Lord is in control, and that He keeps His promise to work all things together for good; I have no right to tremble and fear.

Dear Lord, give me the real, childlike trust in You that doesn't question the paths You are leading me on. Help me to let go of my fears, and fix my eyes on You, trusting that You are in control and that You do keep Your many precious promises. Thank you for the promise to be here with me, and to work out even the confusing difficult situations for good.
In Jesus' name, Amen.