When Fear And Trust Intermingle

Church Family: I have a new grandson, the youngest of three. He is six days old as I write this. His name is Noah Reid Regier, and God created him with an extra chromosome, 46 +1, also known as Down Syndrome. He has some serious obstacles to overcome right now with his heart and lungs. I have been in his NICU room this week a few times with his parents, and I have watched computers that are attached to Noah with tubes and cords as they keep track of what his heart and lungs are doing.

You can watch all kinds of very important lines on those computer screens. The lines are blue, green, yellow, and red, and they go up and down with lots of very important numbers. You watch the screens with anticipation willing the numbers to be stable and constant for a newborn, but many times they are not. As you watch the screens and look at Noah with his little chest going up and down you think: “Come on, little buddy, breathe… breathe!” “Come on little baby heart inside little baby Noah, pump some oxygenated blood to give life to that brain of yours and all your little baby organs!” “Come on Noah, drink your momma’s life-giving milk. Drink little buddy, drink, drink!” Very quickly in the drama of a NICU room, you experience the battle between anxiety and confidence, between fear and trust. Then you come to the realization that you cannot do anything for Noah except one thing: give him completely to his Creator, the One who has given him an extra chromosome, His loving heavenly Father, who gives him life and breath and everything (Acts 17:25).

When you find that God has brought you to a path to walk that was not what you had planned, and you have a battle going on in your mind and heart, remember that this is part of being human. Then take the battle to the Psalms, specifically Psalm 27, and be comforted to know that even David experienced these thoughts and emotions.

Through the utter turmoil of David’s life— decade after decade of turmoil— while he is running for his life, David says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation (deliverance); whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold (refuge) of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” This Psalm is for every day of your life, not just the difficult ones. God is light. God is deliverance. God is refuge.

How is God the light in your hardships? Light is truth, purity, and goodness. No matter what darkness we find ourselves in, whether we created the darkness or it was created for us to walk in, God says, “I am here to be your light no matter what darkness comes. I will show you a way out! I will show you truth in this. I will show you how to think and process and talk and make decisions in your turmoil. And I have sent you my Son, Jesus Christ, who shines in whatever darkness comes, and no darkness will overtake Him (John 1:5, 9). Cling to the light while in darkness, and you will find a way out.”

How does God bring deliverance in your hardships? Deliverance is rescue. Every child of God will face hardships and tragedies, but in the end, God always rescues HIs children. No matter what enemies come upon you, physically, mentally or spiritually, it is God who will deliver you, just like in the life of David. As your deliverer, God wants you to trust Him as He leads you down His path of deliverance in Jesus Christ. Knowing and reminding yourself of this truth should drive all fear from your heart.

How is God your refuge in hardships? Refuge is a place to run for safety. A refuge in biblical days was a thick-walled city that you could run to for security when you were under attack. You will have moments in life when you seem so small and so weak, and you are unable to solve the difficulties that are piling up against you, and that is exactly when your Heavenly Father calls you to run to Himself for refuge. He calls you to run to Him as your sovereign refuge to receive rest, comfort, wisdom, provision, and protection in order to face and deal with things that you could not deal with without Him.

Run to the Light. Run to the Deliverance. Run to the Refuge. Run to Jesus Christ. Whom shall you fear? What shall you fear? Thank you for praying for baby Noah.

See you Sunday, fighting anxiety with God's promises: Steve