“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8
Being scared is not my idea of fun. I have never enjoyed being startled, and spooky stuff has never been my cup of tea. Growing up, I never wanted to go into any haunted houses at amusement parks with my friends. And at costume parties, I always want to wear something beautiful rather than something scary and ugly.
One time, though, I did reluctantly go into an amusement park haunted house with some friends from college simply because I didn’t want to be left out. But I was “so not liking it,” as my daughter would say. My friends zipped through, but I was scared and was left behind. In fear, I latched on to the shirt of the man in front of me, who was holding his little girl’s hand. I did not know him, but I was so desperate I didn’t care, and fortunately it was so dark he couldn’t see me. When we hit daylight, I ran!
The stranger’s presence offered some comfort to me that day, but much more comforting is the fact that God goes before us, with us, and behind us throughout life. When I remind myself of this truth, it calms my many fears.
Sometimes I forget my safekeeping in Christ because either I’m busy with my to- do list, or I get distracted from God’s truth, or I am paralyzed by fear of something I need to do but I’m afraid to do. But when I take one sweet step at a time while hanging on to my Savior, even though I can’t see what’s ahead, I am comforted knowing God is right there with me, cheering me on. God is so much bigger than any set of circumstances you or I could ever face. He can navigate us safely through our unknowns, one step at a time.
Step out in faith with God as your Guide. We cannot escape His comforting presence . . . ever!
SP (Sweet Pea): Tomorrow night your children may be bringing home candy. One family tradition we had was a candy-only supper on October 31, celebrating God and that everything good comes from Sweet Him.