Finding God Daily

By Karen O’Connor:

Overcoming fear may seem difficult, but seek God: He can give you peace even during the most trying times.

Image by graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I remember the day my father plopped down in his easy chair in the den and put a hand on his chest. I was thirteen at the time. “Someday I’m going to die of a heart attack,” he mumbled.

I panicked and ran to tell my mother. She touched my shoulder and stroked my hair. “Daddy is all right,” she assured me. “He’s had a full checkup and there is nothing wrong with his heart. God will take care of him. He needs to trust the doctor and the Lord.”

The clutch in my stomach eased at the sound of my mother’s words.  I turned to the Lord and whispered a prayer for my dad, and  from that point on I began to trust Him every time a fearful thought or experience threatened me. I felt His presence when I was afraid of not passing the college entrance exam, when my family ran out of money and we had to lean on friends and the church to help us, when my first husband announced that he loved another woman and was leaving our family, and when I stood at my father’s bedside as he lay dying at age 91.

Throughout the decades God has been there. My stomach still clutches at times—but then I remember that God is with me and I relax.

Seeking God can lead to leaning on Him in all ways––ways you may never have expected, and then trusting Him for his unfailing love, guidance, and comfort and even in overcoming fear. He promises in the bible that he will always be with us.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified . . .  for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

You may wish to put this verse on a card and carry it with you or type it into your notes on your smart phone so you can read and meditate on it whenever fear tries to rob you of your peace.

 ©Karen O’Connor. Karen is an author, writing mentor, and frequent contributor to the Finding God Daily blog. Visit Karen on the web at www.karenoconnor.com, on Facebook or follow on Twitter: @karenoconnor