Monday, March 21, 2011

Day 80 - Faith & trust

I have to tell you that I feel like I am battling a lot of fears right now. When disasters and sadness hit it's hard not to be afraid that you are next. I just finished reading the OC Register's article about the memorial they held for Maddie James on Sunday. I cried. Another sweet girl Jessica Joy Rees has an inoperable brain tumor; she is the daughter of a pastor at my church and only in 6th grade. They will be starting her on radiation this week. I'm crying more. Reading about Japan is as devastating as ever. People are also constantly talking about earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear meltdowns and radiation hitting us. And of course there is talk about the end of the world. It's frightening; no matter how much you try to ignore it. In the last week we have had some sickness and sleepless nights in our house and I am so afraid that something terrible is wrong with one of us. I feel helpless with my irrational fears. What do we do when it feels like the world has turned upside down? How do we calm our fears?

After I wrote the paragraph above I went and looked through old notes to see what answers I could find about fear. God had two obvious words for me FAITH and TRUST. Should I be surprised that these are the solutions? We have to trust God when we are afraid. We have to choose faith to cure our fears.

"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done." -Philippians 4:6

"Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9

"Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you." -Exodus 14:13

"Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell Him all your troubles, for He is our refuge." -Psalm 62:8

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God..." -John 14:1

You cannot deny how clear it is that we are supposed to have faith in and trust God. No one can tell us the future and we cannot let our fears dictate what we think is happening. Just have faith and trust. Today is a new day for me to practice that.


Posted by Amanda at 12:07 AM

2 comments:

  1. Heather951March 21, 2011 at 8:33 AM

    I totally was feeling this lately too. My friend's mom died, a girl in my friend's daughter's girl scout troop died and then of course Japan! Thanks for the scriptures! Super love reading your blog!

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  2. jenniMarch 21, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    Amanda,
    Thank you always for your honesty. I have been feeling the same...Maddie James death, a close friend who's 15 month old son has cancer and has to go through chemotherapy. It scares me because I think "why me" why hasn't something terrible struck me or my family when it has to these equally faithful, loving, wonderful "others". When i begin to fear I go back what you said in this blog.. the only thing we really have -Faith and Trust. God doesn't promise us that life won't be hard but he does promise to always be with us. Thank you for encouraging me with these scriptures and your thoughts!xox

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