“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4, NIV
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10, NIV
“And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20, NRSV
“Do not be afraid” is one of the most common phrases in the Bible, often spoken by angels or directly by God. I believe this is because God knows that living a human life is scary – we are so fragile and temporary. I am afraid of many things. It used to be my greatest fears were things like whatever nighttime creature I imagined lived in my closet, or spiders, or snakes, or panthers (I grew up in Florida and was clearly terrorized in elementary school learning about our native fauna). These days my fears are different, although the feeling of tightness in my chest and throat and pounding heart remains the same. These days, I fear for the safety of my family whenever I witness another violent tragedy on the news. I fear leaving my child alone as I navigate health issues and an aging body. I fear for our world, witnessing political division, violent rhetoric, and a lack of compassion among neighbors. When my child is fearful or upset, I am teaching him to take deep breaths, and to seek comfort from a trusted adult. I do the same. I breathe in and out, slowly, counting down as I exhale. I seek out a friend or another pastor for conversation. And I rely on the verses above – the very idea that God knows our fears is comforting to me, and the promises of God and Jesus to be with us always, even in the most terrifying places, give me strength. Just like my 4 year old practices his breathing to overcome fears, I practice these promises, learning to trust more and more day by day.
