“Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:16-17).
As a child, I often thought that adults had everything figured out.
Adults knew exactly what they were doing and where they were going in life, they had all the answers to life’s questions, and they weren’t afraid of monsters under the bed, dark nights, or anything else for that matter.
As an adult, I realize all too well that our fears don’t go away as we get older—they just take different frightful forms depending on our circumstances. Monsters under the bed are replaced with other things.
Perhaps fear takes the shape of looming financial ruin in your life as debt threatens to consume you and your family. Maybe fear wears the mask of a debilitating illness that looks like it will claim your life after robbing you of strength and dignity. Maybe fear looks like something else—a concern for children or grandchildren growing up in a sin-darkened world, perhaps.
Whatever it is, we’re all afraid of something, dear Christian. We’re all struggling with fear. And those fears are real. They shouldn’t be ignored or dismissed out of hand. How can we face them? How can we not be afraid?
In the midst of our fears and struggles, the prophet Zephaniah’s Spirit-inspired words, quoted above, are for you and me—just as they were for the people of Israel all those years ago.
“Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.”
Zephaniah doesn’t stop there, though. No, he explains why we don’t have to be afraid in life. Not if we’re facing financial ruin, a terminal illness, or anything and everything else we and our loved ones could possibly encounter.
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.”
That’s the answer right there. The Lord our God is with us, the mighty warrior who saves. And he says to us in his Word, “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).
Our fears in life are real, but our God is real too. And his promises are stronger than our fears.
Financial ruin may cripple us, but God is with us, reminding us in his Word that our true treasure in heaven can never be taken away. A terminal illness may end our short time here, but death cannot claim us—it cannot keep us. We’re spoken for. We’ve been bought by the precious blood of Jesus, the mighty warrior who saved us from sins and won salvation for us.
Feeling overwhelmed by your fears? God delights in you, dear Christian—yes, you! God himself rejoices over you with singing—just sit back and think about that for a moment. God singing over and about you!
Immanuel—God with us—came down from heaven above to give us true and lasting peace, no matter what happens in this life. That peace is yours and mine forever because of Jesus and his great love for us. Our sins are all forgiven. Heaven is ours.
How can we be afraid?
Prayers for People Under Pressure contains 97 comforting prayers written for the stress, fears, and pressures you endure each day. It’s through prayers such as these that you will draw close to God and receive the strength to persevere through all adversity.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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