Fear
It was dusk and I was walking across the carpeted floor of our bedroom when I spotted it. Something looking uncomfortably like a huge scorpion right in my path. I jumped back startled .Very carefully I reached over to turn on the light and get my glasses. Sure enough – it was the dreaded…….retainer I have to wear at night to keep my teeth in alignment! It must have fallen off the vanity when I was washing my face. My pounding heart quieted, and I felt rather foolish.
I thought about the devotional I had just finished reading and how this was a perfect illustration. I am reading a Christian classic called “Hinds Feet on High Places” by Hannah Hurnard. Darien Cooper has written a devotional page to correspond to each page of the book. God has used this book to speak to my heart in a very profound way.
The heroine of this allegory is Much-Afraid. She is taking the journey from the Valley to the High Places. The Shepherd is her guide. Much-Afraid is crippled, and the Shepherd has given her two companions to help her on the journey. Their names are Sorrow and Suffering. On this particular day they are about to enter the Forests of Danger and Tribulation, and Much-Afraid is too terrified to go on. In her mind she imagines what frightening things await her there. She falls at the Shepherd’s feet trembling with fear.
In a gentle voice the Shepherd says, “Much-Afraid, don’t ever allow yourself to begin trying to picture what it will be like. Believe Me, when you get to the places which you dread you will find that they are as different as possible from what you have imagined… I see your enemies lurking among the trees ahead, and if you ever let Craven Fear begin painting a picture on the screen of your imagination, you will walk with fear and trembling and agony, where no fear is.”
I felt as though the Lord had spoken those words directly into my heart. I am so much like Much-Afraid. I look into tomorrow and worry. I look down the road into the future and, because of circumstances in our lives, see the Forests of Danger and Tribulation straight ahead. The fear can be so overpowering I feel buried under the weight of it. It is only when I look into the face of Jesus and remember Who He is that I can find some measure of peace.
My very vivid imagination flashes scenes of untold suffering and sorrow on the screen of my mind so often. It doesn’t have to be the large worry that I have; it can be something as simple as my husband being late getting home. As the minutes tick away, I pace back and forth to the window with visions of ambulances, and emergency rooms floating through my mind. I am thoroughly worn out by the time the car pulls safely into the driveway.
In Much-Afraid’s story I hear the Savior say to me – “Don’t let your imagination run away with you. My promises are true. I will always be there with you. I have a plan to prosper you, and your future is safely in My hands. I love you.” When I listen to that gentle voice; when I put my trust in Him, I am filled with the peace that He has promised.
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
~ II Cor.10:5 (KJ)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” ~ Prov. 3:5 (NAS)
Thanks for sharing your beautiful heart.
Trust is the key to every fear we encounter.
Thanks for featuring my blog. It’s such a blessing!
God bless!
I am here with you with fear of the future – how in the world will “we” handle two more babies? They’re not my babies, but my grandbabies, but I envision all sorts of scenarios a long ways down the road. This was for me! I need to go back and print off all of your beautiful devotionals.
What a beautiful post, Linda. There is confirmation going on for me as Laurel also wrote on fear.
So many of us fear for the future, for ourselves, our family, etc, but as your devotional says, we must learn to trust God and know that He won’t ever let us face the fear alone, He will always be with us. Thank you for this dear Linda! xoxo
Hi Linda,
Your posts are always enjoyable and so rich with meaning..
Thank you for sharing.
xo
Oh Linda,
I started reading this book years ago, never finished. I am determined to read it this year.
Thank you for this post. I grieve for many who are caught up in the what ifs of life. Their fears have them crippled. I guess I was once there too. Praise be to Jesus. He helped me conquer my fears and will continue to do so.
Thank you for a beautifully written poignant devotion.
Well my spam word is hope.
Aren’t we just the pair, we see to have the same thing on our minds this last week. I too am a Much-Afraid. I would rather just fall at his feet and crying “don’t make me go in there, or do this, or …….”
But God is slowly teaching me to stand strong, even when I feel the knots in my stomach or the fear of what could happen in my very vivid imagination…
So I hope….I rest in HIM. Knowing he will guide me.
Yes, Linda aren’t we a pair!
Thank you for this post today and your quote from the book Hinds Feet on High Places. I read it years ago but you made me want to pull it out and read it again.
Linda,
I love this book. I was reading it at a retreat last year, but I couldn’t take it with me. It really spoke to me also about the fear I have. Thank you for sharing this personal struggle that many of us can relate to feeling.
What is the stats that 90% of what we dread or imagine, never comes true….
we are our worst enemies…
what a powerful post.. well said, beautiful…
thank you…. I need to send this to several people that are going through a similiar “worried time”… of “what if’s”
Connie
Oh.my.goodness – how often have I had the vivid imagination that something terrible happened to my beloved. I have often dreams that wake me up sweating. At those times, I remember that He is there with me every step of the way.
Thank you for sharing this story of “Much-Afraid”…I have never read the book, but maybe should be on my ‘to-read-list’…
Blessings to you and yours.