What do you do when you find yourself staring into the face of fear? Where do you turn?
The Israelites found themselves facing great fear. They’re halfway to the promised land and become consumed by fear of what’s to come. They have been brought out of Egypt and cared for up until this point, yet they are still doubting that God will continue to care for them the rest of the way. By listening to their fear, they become insecure, thinking they’re too small, they doubt God’s faithfulness, are angry at their leaders, they wish for old ways back in Egypt, and they rebel by doing things their way.
The three words “don’t be afraid” are in the Bible 365 times. Two of those times are in Numbers 14. God tells us every day (365 times), not to be afraid, but what do we do so often? We live in fear. Fear tells us that we have to do it on our own. But faith is surrendering to God and letting him have control. Faith is trusting even when it is scary and you can’t see or understand it.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather let the author of my life and the creator of the world be in control than me trying to do it on my own. We have the choice to fear or to have faith in a God who has always been and will always be faithful. Which way are you going to go? Are you going to succumb to fear or step boldly into faith?
Questions for reflection:
- Do you find yourself yielding to fear or stepping confidently into faith? Why?
- What things make you afraid? How does that fear make you feel?
- What does stepping into faith look like for you? How can you do that today?
- What holds you back from faith?