What Are You Afraid Of?

I was thinking a little this morning about things that stir up anxiety and stress in us. It seems that there is no end to possible stressors; health concerns, finances (will I ever be able to afford to retire?), employment (both the lack of and the wrong kind), enemies (both foreign and domestic), to mention but a few.

Lord knows; we’ve all got more than enough on our plates to get our blood pressure rising!

As I thought about that, I was reminded of those who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. Under the leadership of Nehemiah, and despite the great opposition of the surrounding peoples, they undertook the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall. Imagine trying to build something and having a buddy stand guard while you do so that you don’t get killed in the process by your neighbors, people who aren’t as enthusiastic about your building project as you are. That’s essentially what the building process looked like for them. Talk about stress!

How does Nehemiah encourage the people? He simply says to them, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome …” (Nehemiah 4:14). I like that. "Remember the Lord."

What are you going through today? What are you afraid of? Is stress getting the better of you? I'm preaching to myself here; it seems that there's no shortage of stress in my life lately. Still, Nehemiah’s words ring true. “Don’t be afraid of them [it]. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.”

Meditate on that truth; take a moment to really think on that and let it sink in. The God of Nehemiah is the same one you and I worship and call Lord. God hasn’t changed and He still can be trusted to help us through all those anxieties and stressors, just as He helped the people rebuilding that wall long ago. Though we often tend to forget Him, He has not forgotten us.

Call on Him. “Remember the Lord.”

Photo Credit: Philippe Leroyer, Flickr Creative Commons