Choosing Faith Over Fear Tonight - Your Nightly Prayer - October 8

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Choosing Faith Over Fear Tonight

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. - Psalm 56:3

SOMETHING TO PONDER

When David wrote the words of Psalm 56, he was being chased by King Saul and had been seized by the Philistines in Gath. He certainly feared for his very life.  And yet, he confirmed that when he was afraid, he put his trust in the Lord. In verse 11, he asked, “What can man do to me?”

As we live our lives, it is not often that we fear for our very lives – at least, not in the same way David did, but we certainly have our own fears and worries, don’t we? Yes, we may worry about a diagnosis that threatens our lives. We worry about job security, about health concerns. We have anxiety over our finances and over our relationships. We worry about our children – our family. The list certainly could be rather endless, couldn’t it? Isn’t it all a fear of outcomes? A fear of failure, maybe?

The problem is that faith and fear simply cannot coexist forever. And yet, trusting in God – truly trusting Him – is perhaps the most challenging thing a Christian can learn. It is not going to happen instantly or automatically, but it develops over time as we grow in our relationship with the Lord. As we learn to trust in Him and in His promises – and in learning how others have personally experienced His faithfulness, then our trust, our faith can only grow more secure.

To grow in our faith is what the Lord desires for us. But learning to trust God requires a bit of effort on our part to grow closer in our relationship with Him and to learn from His Word. Scripture is clear: “ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:17) As we read, hear, and meditate on His Word, we begin to learn and to develop a stronger, more confident faith. Spending time in prayer begins to develop a trust that can see us through the darkest valleys. (Psalm 23:4)

God is certainly kind and understanding about our weaknesses, but like all fathers, He wants us to grow and to learn. In other words, He wants us to grow in our faith in Him. And yet, faith does not mature and grow without trials and struggles. We learn patience from situations where we must be patient, and we learn faith and trust in situations where we must actively feel that trust in our hearts.  As David uttered the words of this psalm, he had already personally experienced God’s power and shield over his life multiple times. After all, he had already fought the lion and the bear (1 Samual 17:37) and knew the Lord would be with him fighting Goliath. As we read scripture, we can see, over and over again, God’s protection for those who love Him. We can then begin to recognize that God is there for us, too.

In his book, Fearless, Max Lucado wrote: “Feed your fears and your faith will starve. Feed you faith, and your fears will.”

As we learn to obey God’s Word and allow it to saturate our hearts, we will find that every trial, every struggle, every difficult situation serves as a building block of our faith and trust in Him. Stepping stones on the path to stronger, deeper faith. We, like David, can then look back and realize how God has sustained us in the past – and trust that He will be there to do the same again.

Throughout our lives, we will face trials – Jesus assured us of that. (John 16:33) As you grow deeper in your trust, you will begin to wonder how anyone survives life’s struggles without the Lord by their side.  And yet, we are assured by our God that any situation we face, we can know a calming peace through whatever comes our way – because we know He is with us.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Father, I thank you for always being there for me. For hearing me and for bringing me your peace. Peace that I know surpasses all understanding. As I face these trials, please let your Holy Spirit be with me, bring calm to my heart, and lead me as I navigate these storms. Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. Read – When facing trials, worries, or concerns, go right to the Word and find those areas that you know will bring you peace at heart.

2. Pray – Turn to the Lord with all your heart. Let your prayers be more than uttered words – believe, know, He’s going to be there for you.

3. Pray more – As your head hits the pillow, pray Psalm 23. Say it again. Focusing on every word you speak. Let His rod and His staff bring you comfort.

Go Deeper: How to Stop Letting Fear Drive Your Need for Control (ft. Lysa TerKeurst)

When we fight for control, it's rarely because we have an insatiable desire to play boss. Most often, fear is driving our behavior—especially when we’ve experienced situations that left us feeling powerless, uncertain and deeply wounded. After those experiences, we naturally want to do whatever we can to avoid landing in a similar crisis or painful spot. And so, we might overthink, try to fix other people or work harder to secure a particular outcome, while believing we’re simply being responsible and caring. So how can we recognize when healthy responsibility has crossed into control?

In this episode of Faith Over Fear, Jennifer Slattery talks with bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst about her latest release, Making Peace with What I Can't Control, and the fears that can drive controlling behavior and how to respond differently. Lysa shares how to distinguish responsibility from control, recognize the role our perceptions play in fear and focus our energy on what we actually can manage. She also discusses trusting God when we don’t understand what He’s allowing, remembering His past faithfulness and releasing outcomes into His capable hands. If this episode helps you face fear with God's confidence, be sure to follow Faith Over Fear on Apple or Spotify so you get new episodes every week!

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/francescoch

Grandchamp is an author and speaker. His book, “In Pursuit of Truth, A Journey Begins,” is an easy-to-read narrative that offers answers to the most common questions new believers and non-believers have about Jesus Christ (Amazon.) Greg speaks on living out our faith in our daily lives – and on creating true disciples of Christ.
Greg doesn’t pretend to be a pastor, a theologian, or a Bible expert, but offers the perspective of an everyday guy on the same journey as everyone else – in pursuit of truth.
Greg can be reached by email  or on Facebook @ Greg Grandchamp - Author.

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