Have you ever stopped to realize that our survival is dependent on the innate ability we have to feel the emotion of fear? We come into this world knowing how to be afraid. Fear allows us to respond to danger, pain, and the things which threaten us not only physically but socially, intellectually and emotionally. When our fears evolve into being extreme or irrational, it is called a phobia. Understanding why someone has or develops the fears which they uniquely experience is very complicated and sometimes mysterious. New discoveries and theories which can help people overcome fears or phobias that limit their adventures, affect their well-being and create unnecessary boundaries, are being proposed both in the field of science and medicine, as well as psychology and sociology. What antidotes for fear do you recommend?
When David and the other Psalmists wrote their psalms for the ancient Israelites to sing together, they often expressed their fear and their anxieties. As they came to God with an honest and open heart and mind, they would discover once again that it was in trusting God that they could find solace and peace. As they expressed what they knew to be true about Yahweh, He would reassure them of His protection and of His care. As they talked about their very real external and internal enemies, they would hear Elohim, the infinite, all-powerful God, remind them that He wanted to be their refuge or their fortress. As they called upon the LORD, they knew He would always keep His promise to protect them.
Isn’t it amazing that through these Psalms believers in Jesus can still find the assurance they need when they face danger or are threatened by various enemies? God promise to be our protection and our hiding place is as true today as it was then.
