Job 4:5-6
“But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?”
It is apparent that Job was afraid of facing the very troubles he faced. It says in the verses above, “But now it is come upon thee…” It continues to says, “Is not this thy fear…” Job knew his day was coming. He was fearful of the trials that would come his way. Sadly, one of his friends who came to encourage him ended up discouraging him by scolding him when he said, “…and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.” Though I would like to defend Job in this devotional, that is not the purpose of this writing. When what you fear comes upon you, then you need to be sure that you react properly.
I’m reminded of a person who feared of a disease that killed every one of their family members. They were afraid that one day it would kill them. Instead of facing it head on and doing what it took to avoid the disease, they simply ignored the symptoms thinking it would make it better. Sadly, they too died of the disease that killed their family members. They feared that it would come upon them, and it did. To their credit, when it came upon them, they handled it properly and died in dignity with their Christianity in tact.
Everyone has those little fears in the back of their head of what they are afraid may happen to them. Whether it is a disease that has taken your family, or a trial that you have seen others face, that fear is in the background and you wonder how you will handle it when it comes your way. Let me give you some helps as to what to do before and when your fear comes upon you.
First, stop worrying about it coming upon you. Worrying about your fears will not stop them. In fact, worry is wasted energy. You must not fear, for it is not going to stop whatever you face. Instead of fearing, use those energies to serve God.
Second, God will be there for you if your fears come to pass. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” You must remember that God has never failed you in the past, and IF it comes upon you, He will be there for you to help you when you face it. The confidence that God will be there for you should be enough to cause you to stop fearing.
Third, when it comes upon you, what you told others to do in their hardships is also valid for you during yours. Verses 3-4 say, “Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.” Job instructed others how to face hardships, but he forgot his own counsel when hardships came his way. Always remember that truth never changes. If truth was good for you to give to others when they were facing hardships, then that same truth is still true for you to apply in yours.
Don’t spend your time fruitlessly worrying about something that has yet to happen. If it does happen, then God will give you the grace you need at that time. Until then, focus and use your energies to help others and serve God.