The Fear Knot

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

We live in volatile times. There are wars, rumors of wars, and natural disasters in abundance. 

Everywhere we turn, fear rears its ugly head. But if we give fear too much power, it

can render our faith mute. We can get so focused on the what-ifs of this life that we miss what God is doing around us and through us.

This year we’re all still reeling from those killed in terrorist attacks. It’s times like this I wish I understood God completely—understood why He allows things like this to happen. But even if I did—and if I could put the explanation into words, I don’t think it would be help. I don’t believe there are words that can bring comfort to those families involved. The hurt is too senseless, too cruel, to horrific to ever be bandaged with words.

It’s times like these we all wonder where God is…and where He was when events unfolded. With a son who’s been on the frontline twice during wartime, I’ve struggled with these questions. It’s difficult to accept why a perfect, loving God would let such evil proliferate in our world.

Asking why leads to what if, and that is the point where fear begins to knot itself around our faith. The tighter we hold onto our fears, the stronger they become. It’s only when we let go of our fears and grab hold of God that the peace we crave can take hold.

As believers, we know the Biblical answer about why this world is the way it is—because man is sinful and because God allowed us free will. Translating that into actual application while my son was in Iraq was nearly impossible. Just like it must be for those families whose loved one’s perished in the recent attack.

But, with time and with God’s help, I’ve been able to relax my hold on terror and turn to God.

He's with us in our sorrows, even when we don't understand why. God has a bigger perspective than we can even imagine. And I’m so thankful He does. Because, I have to tell you, if my God was small enough for me to understand, I don’t think He’d be large enough to trust.

So I don’t have to know the why because I know the Who. That one small change has made all the difference. I encourage you to let  the Who of God drown out the whys of this world.

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Avoid the #fear knot. We don't have to know the why, because we know the Who - @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)