Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.

The introduction to this Psalm says that it was written right after David had been in genuine physical danger for his life, but this verse applies more broadly than that. It has rightly been said that fear doesn’t prevent bad things from happening, it just prevents us from enjoying life before bad things happen. That’s why the devil loves to project fear on us. After all, he is only out to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) He can’t have any of the good things God has provided for us, so he wants to keep us from having them either. At its root, fear is a survival mechanism, because those with no fear of dangerous animals, poisonous plants, or precipitous cliffs are going to die out pretty quickly! However, someone with an excessive fear of falling isn’t going to be a good tree climber, and climbing trees is often a very useful skill. Living on this earth has its negatives, as Jesus said very clearly, (John 16:33) but playing “what if” about all the possible negatives will leave us completely paralyzed, unable to receive all the good things God has for us in the middle of, and sometimes even because of, the bad things. All of this can be very hard to judge. Where is the line between being a pessimist and being prudent? Between being an optimist and being foolhardy? We are quick to say that others are on the “wrong” side of the line, while saying we are the “wise” ones, but that is extremely subjective. Genuinely wise optimism comes from trusting our Creator, who loves us enough to send His Son to die for us, and also desires that we grow and become strong in faith and obedience. The thing is, strength comes from overcoming resistance in various forms. The negative things we experience are allowed by God to teach us and grow us. When we have that firm assurance, our only concern will be whether we are accurately hearing and obeying Him, and if that is our heart, He will take care of it in His wisdom and strength.

This is something I face constantly, as we all do. A huge list of negative things could happen to me at any moment, and sometimes it takes an active choice to trust God to keep from running away. As an example, I recently came across a very clear article on the symptoms and stages of Parkinson’s Disease, which my wife has. God has kept the progression of the disease very slow, to the point that doctors have commented on it, but the temptation to fear what doctors say is “inevitable” is demonic. Yes, those things could happen, but they haven’t yet, and fearing the next stage would keep us from enjoying what is still possible at this stage. The same thing applies to relationships. All sorts of people come into my life. They may bless me, they may hurt me, they may make life more complicated, but fearing what could happen will keep me from participating in what God wants to happen, for the blessing of that person as well as of me. As John said, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:18) I need to rest in God’s love, loving Him in return (which includes obeying Him) so that His plans, and His alone, may be fulfilled.

Father thank You for this reminder. At this point I’ve lived long enough to have experienced a lot of negative things that could easily happen again. Keep me from dwelling on that, but rather help me stay focused on You, resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in You, just as You have told me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!