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What do you fear? In our household, snakes rank high on the fear-o-meter. Over 25 years ago, my wife Genel felt something scratch her foot (in a church parking area).  Once she noticed the fang marks, and after a visit to the hospital very late that night, snakes became number one on her fear-o-meter.  She can get hives from seeing a snake on television. For all of us there is something that causes the pulse to quicken and anxiety to increase.  Sometimes our fears are valid, but very often fear exhibits a lack of trust and must be dealt with. In my recent reading, I came across a verse that should be memorized by every Christ follower.

Psalm 34:4
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears

Before continuing, I must tell you a humorous but true story of someone overcoming what would have created great fear for many of us. The event happened two Sundays ago at a friend’s church in Florida. As a student pastor was preparing for baptism, he spots a mouse near the baptismal pool … He is getting ready to baptize an 80 year-old woman! Yep, you guessed it … the mouse jumps in the water, and does the backstroke across the pool. As the mouse swims toward the woman, she says; “Is that a fish?” (she didn’t have her glasses on) The man helping her into the water says “No, it’s a mouse!” He reaches to grab the mouse, the woman runs and the mouse bites his hand. Amazingly, the dear woman gets in the water and is baptized. Talk about confronting your fears! What would you have done?!

It may not be snakes or mice, but there is something (maybe many things) that cause most of us to fear. It may be a fear of the future, financial fears, a fear of dying or simply a fear of not being in control. The list of fears that can easily control our lives is too long to list.  Yes, there are legitimate fears that we should take appropriate action on, but far too often confident trust in God is replaced by fear. What a shame! Without a doubt, you (like me) can relate to an area of your life that is a battleground in your mind; will we trust, or will we be afraid?

David was a man after God’s own heart, but was also not perfect.  Fear had obviously been a part of his journey, but the words of Psalm 34:4 give us such a simple way to deal with it.  He prayed and God answered! He was released from all his fears!  Do you believe Scripture is true? I’m sure you do.  Then you believe that God freed David from fear. The problem is, most Christ followers don’t really believe they can overcome the fears that are controlling them.  They are right if they try it in their own power, but He can, and He wants to free you and me from fear’s vice grip. David simply prayed and saw God answer. Could it be that we have conditioned ourselves to accept fear, and are missing God’s release?

As your friend, let me ask an honest question. What is high on your fear-o-meter?  Fearing snakes and mice is normal.  If, however, you are weighted down with a fear that is controlling your life and stealing your joy, release it to the Father. David’s simplicity is profound. He prayed and God answered. What about you?  Why not just pray and trust God to answer. Meditate, memorize and internalize the simple words of Psalm 34:4. They can be life changing for you.

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.