Psalm 116

1 I love the Lord because he hears my voice
 and my prayer for mercy.

2 Because he bends down to listen, 
I will pray as long as I have breath!

3 Death wrapped its ropes around me; 
the terrors of the grave [a] overtook me. 
    I saw only trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: 
    “Please, Lord, save me!”

5 How kind the Lord is! How good he is! 
    So merciful, this God of ours!

6 The Lord protects those of childlike faith; 
    I was facing death, and he saved me.

7 Let my soul be at rest again,
    for the Lord has been good to me

When I was a little girl, I had a totally radical (yes- I grew up in the 80’s) banana seat bike with an am/fm radio and built in horn. Growing up in the concrete jungle of Southern California I had the option of riding that bike on the asphalt street or on the sidewalk in our neighborhood. I jumped ramps with the boys and raced down the street from the cul-de-sac to my house over and over again, almost daily. But, one of my favorite things to do was start at the top of the hill, pedaling as hard as my feet could go until I skid around the hairpin curve at the bottom of the hill, towards the end of the sidewalk. The thrill was heightened by the fact that there was a fire hydrant in the middle of that curve. If I had miss-calculated my turning radius and veered slightly to the left, I would have crashed and burned- badly. Time and time again, my parents cringed and our neighbors would gasp as they watched me round that corner at full speed. Despite their concerns, however, I never hit it!

This morning during my walk through our neighborhood, I nervously watched our son pedal his bike as fast as his little feet could go, then stretch his legs out so he could soar down the big hill. I cringed thinking about the possibility of him crashing and burning on that asphalt. But then.…I heard a still small voice whisper “do you trust me?” Realizing that our son belongs to the Lord, and he is only on loan to me to train and teach for a little while, I let go of my handlebar of control and said “yes-go ahead” when he asked me “mom- can’t I do it again!!!???”

As I continued my stroll towards home I began to think about the years in between my banana seat bike and today. Where had my adventurous spirit gone? Why do I worry about getting hurt, or someone I love getting hurt? Why don’t I trust God all the time…all the way?

Fear.

2 Timothy 1:7

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity…..

Fear is the polar opposite of faith. It is one of the major weapons in the arsenal of the enemy that he uses to steal, kill and destroy. All it takes is a few whispers in our ear and a couple of bad things to happen to us to cause us to doubt the goodness of God and no longer trust Him to protect us.

Because, the fact of the matter is, bad things DO happen:

-Innocent bystanders are murdered at the hands of a tyrant.

-Husbands become addicted to porn

-People get laid off and can’t find another job to support their family.

-Children die after a long battle with cancer.

-Natural disasters destroy people’s homes and all their possessions.

-Wives have emotional affairs.

-People are injured in horrific accidents.

-Children are physically, emotionally and sexually abused by family members.

The list goes on and on….

The thing is, when we look at the facts, instead of looking to the truth, we attempt to figure out why these things happen on our own. When we can’t make sense of it, we begin doubting that God is good. We begin to believe that God is not in control or that He doesn’t love us. We begin to judge what we think is fair or unfair, right or wrong, just or unjust. As a result, we begin to try to control the handlebars and manipulate the circumstances around us, so that nothing else bad can happen.

So how do we eradicate the fear that is stealing, killing and destroying our lives?

1) We search the scriptures for truth.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

2) We pray as long as we have breath, asking Him to please save us! (Lord, why did you let this bad thing happen? Where were you while it was going on? How do you want to use this for my good?)

Only then can we truly know the truth, break free from the bondage of fear and be able to let go of the pedals— and the handlebars, and enjoy the ride.