What to Do When You Are Afraid

If ever there was a time when the Bible verse in Matthew 24 about “wars and rumor of wars” strikes home, the present age certainly qualifies.

At the grocery store today, I overheard people talking about the battle going on right now in Israel and wondering whether it could spark an even greater conflict between the nations of the world. I can’t blame them for being concerned. Things sure don’t look good on the global front, and many people are fearful of what could happen.

On my way home, I switched on the radio and caught part of a sermon by Pastor Joel Osteen. It was a message that provides the antidote to fear. Joel told of an international flight he and his father were on. The journey was smooth and uneventful until the plane encountered severe turbulence. That’s when objects began flying through the air and people started screaming. Joel said he didn’t know what to do, but pray to God. He reckoned the end of his life might be imminent.

After about five minutes of sheer panic, though, they made it through the rough spot and everything turned calm again — and that caused him to realize something I grabbed onto today, and you can too: If he wouldn’ve known how things would turn out, he could’ve actually enjoyed the ride … the entire ride. “People pay lots of money to ride a roller coaster,” Joel reflected. Had he been confident of the end, the wild part of the journey could’ve been fun!

If you’ve heard the Gospel of Christ correctly, you know we’re all in the hands of God, and that His plans for us are good, not evil. When we place our lives in His hands, we can journey through life without losing our cool everytime something that seems horrible happens. We know nothing can harm us without our Father’s permission, and we are convinced the world ahead of us will be a whole lot better than the world we’re living in now.