Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water. ~ Isaiah 35:4-7a
Fear is a tricky thing.
From an evolutionary standpoint, it definitely served is purpose when confronted with a wild animal for our hunter-gatherer ancestors. It developed our fight, flight or flee responses when needed
But these days, some of those original imperatives for fear have left unhelpful traces on us. Anxiety seems to be at an all-time high these days - even before being faced with all our current global challenges.
And simply saying to someone in the throes of a panic attack to "be strong" and "do not fear" isn't always helpful.
Yet even the most frightening things in our life ultimately come to an end one way or another. And before they do, we are told we aren't alone when we go through those fearful times.
Maybe you don't feel like God is directly with you during your most anxious moments. But is there someone or something that you can feel God placed in front of you to get you through them?
A friend? A pastor? A deacon? A therapist? Medication? A way to meditate? A yoga class? A place of beauty where you can rest?
Frightening things will happen in our lives. But we aren't alone, even when it feels as if we are. In addition to God being with us, there are also those who are walking a path similar to our own and understand what we are going through.
If you are afraid or anxious or not sure how to recover from the stress of it all, reach out. And if you aren't comfortable reaching out to someone you know and don't have a therapist or need a medication check, there is also help. A good place to start it here with the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Their resources are invaluable. https://nami.org/Home.
Gracious God, be with me when I fear. Turn me towards those who can help me. Amen
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