Recently I have been dealing with a young daughter of a deployed soldier who has been suffering from fear due to the separation from her father. I believe she has tried to suppress the anxiety due to the separation, but it resurfaces in the face of some scary imaginary monsters. One of the things I shared with her in order to overcome her fears is that she needs to substitute the scary thoughts with good thoughts, and think about them long enough until her fear subsides. Her mother and I have given her several suggestions on the types of good things to think about.
All of us can relate to this little girl’s struggle because we all struggle with fear. Reality is there are thousands of scary imaginary monsters that surface when we are uncertain of what might or might not happen. It could be fear on the battlefield, the fear of losing a loved one, or the fear of losing financial security.
David of the Old Testament was a soldier and dealt with many such fears. How did David overcome his fear? In Psalm 56: 3-4, David wrote, When I am afraid I will put my trust in Thee. In God whose Word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. Notice David replaced his scary thoughts by turning to God and reflecting on God’s written Word.
How can you overcome your fears? In the same way, putting your trust in God by reflecting on and praising His Word until the fear subsides and God’s peace takes hold. My prayer is that God will enable you to overcome your scary imaginary monsters and experience God’s peace. My love and prayers are with you. Pastor Andy
