“Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’  says the Lord, ‘for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. And I will show you mercy.” Jeremiah 42:11-12

A British newspaper (“The Guardian”) carried an article by a woman who wrote, “I have a visitor that stops me from sleeping, wakes me early in the morning and hangs around most days uninvited and unwanted; I am living with fear.” The woman described her insecurities and anxieties, explaining how she lived in the grip of fear.

I think there are many people who “live with fear.” Back in the Old Testament, the survivors of the siege of Jerusalem were fearful too, but the Lord told them not to be afraid but to release their fears. He, their Almighty God, was with them to save them and show them mercy. As Jeremiah 42 unfolds, we find that the survivors rejected God’s plea—and their fears became realities.

One of the certainties that we looked at this past Sunday was from 1 John 5:18 that encouraged us with the fact that “The One who was born of God (speaking of Jesus Christ Himself) keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.” What a promise!  We don’t have to live in the fear of “what if” or “what might be.”

When we’re fearful, we should own our fears by admitting them before God in confession. Just as the old hymn says: Give them all to Jesus.  We should strongly remind ourselves that God will deliver us. And we should thank Him for His promises, His presence, His protection, and His overcoming providence.
 
Give to the wind thy fears, hope and be undismayed; God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears; God shall lift up thy head.
            – Paul Gerhardt