Have No Fear

Have no fear of sudden disasteror of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,for the LORD will be your confidenceand will keep your foot from being snared.

Proverbs 3:25-26 (NIV)

Have no fear. Many right now are living in constant fear. We are—no doubt about it—living in unstable times. I wish I could say, “Don’t worry—be happy! There is nothing to worry about,” but that would be naive.

What I can tell you is this: don’t worry—trust God. In times like this, we do have a safe harbor for our souls. “The LORD [himself] will be your confidence.”

Let me suggest something. In the One Year Bible tomorrow we start reading the incredible story of Joseph (in Genesis 37). It is the perfect illustration of our proverb today. Why don’t you take the time to read it too?

Disaster—it did come into Joseph’s life through a series of unfair circumstances, but he was not ruined, for the Lord was his confidence.

Joseph’s foot was not snared by the jealousy of his brothers, not snared when he lost his home and was sent to slavery. His foot was not snared when he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison. And the final wonderful test upon tests: by the grace of God, Joseph’s foot was not snared when his brothers became needy for food and he was in a position to send them away hungry. Truly, what man meant for evil, God used for great good. Good job, Joseph!

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Do you feel you are barely hanging on? Sometimes I feel like a half-drowned cat washed up on the shore. You too? But then I remember: the tender mercies of the Lord, they fail not. “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning” (Lamentations 3:23). Will you take a moment right now to still your heart? Picture the burdens that are weighting you down. Will you lift them up to our merciful and kind Father in heaven? Will you rest your heart with confidence in him? Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.

One Year Bible Reading

Genesis 35:1–36:43; Matthew 12:1-21; Psalm 15:1-5; Proverbs 3:21-26