Father, I'm Scared - Favorite Verses 1
Can you recall a time in your life when you felt like if you took one more step into your day, the world would crumble around you? You thought that if you opened your eyes even a crack wider to the reality of your circumstances, everything would go up in flames.
Or perhaps there has been a time where you felt like you were all alone. It was you against the world, and the loneliness of that harsh reality overwhelmed you with fear.
I can recall times in my life where I have felt both those things. One was when my husband was fighting cancer and I was scared I was going to be left to raise my children all alone. I felt like I had to present a front to others and especially to my children or the sadness and fear I felt would consume me. It would chew me up and spit me out right there in front of everyone.
During this time of our lives, we received a lot of dear cards and letters from a variety of people that ranged from close friends to strangers. They would fill these cards with encouragement, prayers, and scriptures. One friend wrote Isaiah 43:2 in her card. Her husband had fought a battle with cancer a few years before mine and I knew she knew exactly how I was feeling.
I read this verse and said to myself, I am not only passing through the waters, but I’m drowning in them. I felt like my heart was a pile of ashes with despair. Before I read this verse, I only looked at our situation as unknown and hopeless. I was chartering unknown territory. I knew nothing about cancer, how to be a caregiver, or how I would take care of my husband and my two young children at the same time. The water was too high, and the flames were too hot. There were lots of friends and family who helped us every day, yet the loneliness surrounded me. I missed my husband, and he was still alive, he was laying in our bed while I was watching television at night by myself.
Do you see what I’m saying? When we only look at the world around us, we only see the high waters and the blaze around us. We don’t see a way out. But if we look up, we see clear skies. We see only one way out, and that is with God carrying us out of our pit.
The vision of passing through the waters brought fear and anxiety, but God told me that I will not be swept away by them. When the waters died down, I will still be standing. I would not be the same person I was before the waters surrounded me. I would be waterlogged, my skin all pruned, my eyes may sting from the water, and I may be gasping for air, but I will be standing. I will be stronger, more confident, more dependent on God, and more compassionate because of how God carried me through and what He taught me.
Then I read on and realized that this fire we were walking through as an entire family would not burn us. We would not be left destroyed, harmed, bitter, or broken. Regardless of what the outcome would be, God would prevent our family from devastation. When I was 3 years old, my family’s trailer burned to the ground. We stood on our street and watched everything we owned destroyed by a blazing fire. I mean everything single thing was burned to ash. My family ended up building a new home 100 yards from the site of the burn and for years the evidence of the fire was right next to us. I could see black earth, twisted metal, and charred remains of our home and belongings. The evidence was there but the actual trailer was not. God tells us that the evidence of our circumstances may always linger but we will be standing, holding that evidence. Our circumstances may not be taken away from us completely, but they will not destroy us. We will not be set ablaze as we walk through the fire!
I no longer had to fear if my family would survive, because I knew this battle with cancer would not be the end. Regardless of the outcome, God will be with us. He will be with us here on earth and we will be with Him in Heaven. We will never be left alone, and He will always protect, provide, and comfort His people.
The next time you feel the need to crawl up in your daddy’s arms to be protected, read Isaiah 43. God is your Creator and Redeemer. He formed you and knows you inside and out. You do not need to fear because He calls you by name, He chose you. He calls you into His arms so that He can carry you through all the circumstances you think are hopeless. Wrap yourself in the truth of His goodness. He’s got you in His hands.
Digging Deeper:
Read Isaiah 43
How do you feel the world is consuming you right now?
What is God telling you through this verse?
How do you feel God’s love and protection amongst your struggles?