Deuteronomy 1:29-32 -- On Fear and Belief

"Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God,"
Deuteronomy 1:29-32


Sometimes we don't believe the Lord either.  It's difficult to not be afraid, but Isaiah teaches us one way to approach it: "Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread" (Isaiah 8:13).   I think it is good advice, not in a "you should be terrified" way, but in a "God is more powerful than anything else we can possibly be frightened of" way. :)  Fear takes up way too much time in our lives, and if we learn to replace whatever we fear with God in our minds and our hearts, that time and energy will enrich our lives, and make us stronger and more able to endure whatever comes.

If we follow him and trust him, God will fight for us and even carry us... leading us "beside the still waters," and restoring our souls.  We need not fear evil when God is with us (Psalms 23:2-4).

Today, let's work on not being afraid, and being more believing.  If we're having a hard time with the idea, let's turn to the Lord and explain what we're thinking and feeling.  He will help us if we ask.