Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt stated
his firm belief: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Sometimes fear
comes from apparent threats, but also from real, extreme threats to mind, body,
or spirit.
Walter Bruggermann reminds us, “You gotta have a place where
you process your fears, because if you don’t process your fears, they will
devour you [and] they will immobilize you.”
Psalm 91 helps form a place for processing our fears.
Dwelling in the Shelter in the Most High, (Hebrew El Shaddai)
and leaning on the fortress of God in trust is the beginning place.
God’s defenses are described through vivid metaphors: protection
from hidden traps, deadly pestilence, and terrors of the night, like a fierce mother
bird sheltering her young.
God promises that guardian angels will remain with you through
every harm or disaster you face.
Finally, the perspective shifts as God, speaking in first
person, outlines, the ultimate benefits loving only God
God promises rescue, protection, answered prayers, and
ultimate salvation.
To process our fears, we must name them clearly; doing so
lessens their destructive power.
As we process our fears, we may find that terrible things do
not disappear, but that God’s safe presence accompanies us through them.
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