As caretakers, we are often trying to combat overthinking and fear. Though lamenting in
darkness, faith rekindles at the thought of God in all His love and mercy. By faith we see farther
then our eyes will ever comprehend. We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by
faith, not by sight.” Gratefully, our hope is anchored in the goodness and grace of God.
A priest friend of mine shared that, "Trusting God is like driving at night. Our headlights
show only enough of the road so that we can keep going. We want to see more, but we have
enough.” Our definition of ‘enough’ and God’s are probably different, and fear can begin to rear
when all the circumstances around us whether caretaking or anything else, become unsettling.
Thank God for our faith – a steady hope, that somehow is always there, even when we seem to
falter. We pray to lean on our faith, not our fears, trusting God cares for our every need.
Does it help us to remember that God is teaching us about Himself and His love for us
during a painful season? It has been my experience that God speaks through pain and
circumstances, through the Bible and others. For our part, we are called to listen, confident we
will be led on the best path. Encouragement comes from Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to Me, and I will
answer you; I will tell you great things beyond the reach of your knowledge.”
Edward Grinnan writes, “No disease can destroy faith, but faith can destroy fear.”
When we are in the grip of fear, it may seem hard to believe that quote. If we lock the doors of
our hearts in fear or doubt, we can miss the power of the Holy Spirit. As we trust God, trying to
keep our hearts open, the Spirit can then be free to move in us. The Spirit intercedes for us with
inexpressible groanings. We are urged not to give up, nor to mistrust and to never stop asking
God for our needs. Help is an answer to fear; God’s help is a deliverance from it. His help is our
strength and the lifter of our heads.
Deuteronomy 31:8, “It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you and will
never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.” There are 365 different verses in
the Scriptures that are directed to not ‘fearing.’ It would seem then that God knows we are
saturated in fear and encourages us to believe we will never be forsaken. Living in hope, despite
any circumstances, is keeping our eyes not on the troubles, but on the Lord!
Join me in living this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr, “We must accept finite
disappointment, but we must never give up infinite hope.”