Give Faith, Not Fear, The Upper Hand

The Psalmist is reminded, in his own very difficult and frightening circumstances, that: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” —Psalm 46:4-5 (NIV)

In other words, God is still in charge. God is with us. God is there to help.

And then the Psalmist makes this profound observation: “Nations are in uproar . . . .” (Sounds like a fitting description of how things are today, doesn’t it?). But, he goes on to say — “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”— (vv. 6-7)

And then, the Psalmist gives us the key to it all . . . the way to let faith have the upper hand . . . God’s own word to us . . . “Be still, and know that I am God” (v. 10)

And then, in case we didn’t get it the first time, he says it again: “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Dear friends, I don’t want to suggest that our situation is not serious, for it is. And I don’t want to suggest that things won’t get worse before they get better — for they most assuredly will. But I do want to remind us that as people of faith our trust is in God, and whatever happens, God is with us and will bring us through.

I.

THE PROBLEM WITH GIVING OUR FEARS THE UPPER HAND, IS THAT WE CAN FIND OURSELVES OVERCOME BY THEM AND EVEN PARALYZED BY THEM.

We need to be pro-active and not give up. It behooves us to follow the best advice coming to us, to limit our social engagements to only what is necessary, to make sure we practice good hygiene — washing our hands, using sanitizer, disinfecting surfaces; to avoid contact with others as much as possible by practicing social distancing. Those are the practical things we can do to protect ourselves and others.

But what about faith — what will faith do for us? Well, for one, it will help us to put our focus on God, rather than our problem. It is in trusting God that we are able to say with the Psalmist: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

By focusing on God rather than our problem, the problem becomes more manageable. We know we are not alone, that God is with us. We look to God for our strength. We look to God for his help to make it through this time.

By focusing on God, we are encouraged not to give up or give in to panic. Being still and knowing that God is God, means experiencing a peace in our lives that quiets our fears.

The apostle Paul spoke of this as “the peace of God that transcends all understanding.” (Philippians 4:17 NIV) In other words, even when it doesn’t make any sense, even when it is beyond our ability to understand, we can still enjoy a sense of peace; it’s the peace OF GOD — a peace that only God can give when we trust in him, a peace that, as Paul says, “will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

That can only come when we focus on God, and with faith, trust God. “Be still and know that God is God.” In other words, give faith the upper hand, rather than your fear,