Overcoming Fear

by Charles R. Swindoll

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

---Psalm 23:4

Lord God, fear threatens to overtake us, to hinder us from trusting You. We often seek to rely on ourselves, trusting in our own strength to accomplish our own desires. Because we recognize the realities and the dangers of this distressed world, we thank You for making Your plan clear to ultimately remove all fear and anxiety and worry. Thank You for communicating the truth about fear in terms we can grasp. Thank You for challenging us to trust You as You unfold Your plan in the teaching of Scripture. Give us a commitment to Your truth, so that we live differently and think differently. Help us to be passionate about what matters so that we care more about the eternal and less about the temporal.

Shake us awake, our Father, with the reality that the world is heading in the wrong direction. Remind us that we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people, despite the lawless times . . . if we would but trust You. Deliver us from fear that holds us back, that we might magnify the name of Jesus Christ, regardless of our work, our calling, and our involvements. For Jesus's sake we pray. Amen.