An Anchor When We’re Afraid

I, even I, am he that comforteth you . . .(Isaiah 51:12) 
 
Are you a worrier? I am. I wrestle with anxiety almost daily. I worry about big things. I worry about small things. Sometimes, it seems like I worry about everything. Once in my teens, I called the police when my parents were four hours late getting home. 
 
Scripture repeatedly tells us not to be afraid. Because of God’s goodness and power, and because He sent Jesus to die for us and His Holy Spirit to guide us, our fears don’t have to rule our lives. We may well face hard things, but God has promised to be with us through it all. 
 
One passage that has helped me profoundly in fearful moments is Isaiah 51:12–16. Here, God reminded His people, who had endured tremendous suffering, that He was still with them, and that His comforting presence is the ultimate reality. No matter how bad things may seem: “I, even I, am he who comforteth you,” He told them through the prophet Isaiah (v. 12). 
 
I love that promise. Those eight words have been an emotion-steadying anchor for my soul. I’ve clung to this promise repeatedly when life has felt overwhelming, when my own “constant fear” (v. 13) has felt oppressive. Through this passage, God reminds me to lift my eyes from my fears and in faith and dependence to look to the One who “stretches forth the heavens” (v. 13)—the One who promises to comfort us. 
 
Lord, sometimes the struggles we face in life seem so big. But You are bigger. Help us to cling to Your promise of comfort in fearful moments and to experience Your loving provision as we trust You. Amen. 
 
This devotion blessed me because fear can be debilitating, a strong hold and the enemy would love nothing more than to keep you tied up in fear and anxiety. Today is your day to break the chains of fear and cling to God’s promises of comfort in fearful moments. As long as we are walking on this earth we will all continue to experience fearful moments but it’s what we do in those moments that matter most. We must cling to Him, not push Him away but cling to Him and allow Him to breath into our situation and rest in His assurance that He is and always will be faithful. God’s comforting presence is more powerful than our fears. There is a reason God gave us 1 Timothy 1:7 for our Daily Reading, to then coincide with the devotion, that’s God! He’s trying to speak to someone today. Be willing to listen. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (1 Timothy 1:7). He’s our anchor! 
 
Have a beautiful day in The Lord! 
 
Today’s Reading is 2 Timothy 1:7