Be strong. Fear not. (Day 12 of the #Encourage Marathon)

Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”

~ Isaiah 35.3-4, ESV

Welcome to mile marker 12 of our #Encourage Marathon! (If you missed yesterday’s post, you can read it here.)

Someone out there is anxious. It might even be you!

If you read or copied down Hebrews 12.12-13 on Day 8, you may sense a bit of repetition here. We already talked about the need to get motivated. Today, let’s talk about battling anxiety.

Fear and anxiety are part of the human condition. As we grow in age and experience, certain fears increase while others vanish altogether. Adults  tend to worry excessively, because we have so many responsibilities.

This very moment the fear of what is looming on the horizon may be sapping you of strength. Every small joy is overshadowed by the coming storm. Know this: No storm, no job, no army, no terrorist, no ruler, no mountain, no challenge is greater than our God. Nothing we face is too big or too small to escape His notice. Do not allow your fear to make you forget the One who is on  your side.

Worry creates weakness and fear makes feeble, but prayer produces power.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4.6-7, ESV

Remember this: If it’s worth worrying about, it’s worth praying about.

Right now, we are waiting for the escrow to close on our home in California. In the meantime, we are juggling two mortgages, two sets of utility payments and hoping the ball doesn’t drop on this escrow. Anxiety is a very real problem. Every time I think about it, I pray about it. Do I still have some fear? Absolutely! Yet the peace of God is more powerful than that fear.

If you are not anxious, someone you know might be. Encourage them. Lift them up to the Lord in prayer. Children often deal with anxieties that seem insignificant to us, but are horrifying to them. Pray with them and comfort them. Remind them that the Lord is stronger than their fear.

Be strong. Fear not. Keep running.

 

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I hope you’ll continue to join me on Facebook, Twitter and here at Elihu’s Corner for this marathon. Share the image or verse reference on your Twitter feed or Facebook page with the hash tag (#encourage). Take time today to copy down this verse for yourself. Send an email or text to someone you know who would benefit from this encouragement.

Make a little time each day to write down these verses. Studies have shown that the physical act of writing increases retention far more than typing or reading. When I was in college, I used to recopy my notes—cleaning them up, adding things I remembered, and placing emphasis on important facts. Because of this effort, I rarely had to cram for midterms or finals. I encourage you to make a practice of copying Bible verses, it really does help in the effort of committing the word to memory.

[If you click on the link in the passage at the top of the post, it will take you to BibleGateway.com. From here, you can click a link which allows you to share directly to Twitter, Facebook or send an email.]

If you missed the original post listing all 26 passages, click here to download the PDF list.