Promise:
God provides a way to accomplish His will and if it is a direct command to have us not fear, then He provides the anecdote to the fear.
Passage:
“Do not fear” is one of the most common commands throughout the Bible. There are 72 explicit commands to fear and if we include other reassurances or poetic metaphors that could interpreted as calls to courage and comfort, then it numbers in the hundreds. Some have even said there are 365 references (and although I love the idea of a reminder to not fear for every day of the year, I couldn’t find a count that high in my own study without stretching to include “peace to you” greetings or admonitions not to worry).
Not matter how many you count, it is a prominent theme of the Bible narrative and it was said by God, Jesus, angels, and spiritual leaders (like Moses, David, Paul, and Peter). It was written to individuals, used rhetorically (common in the Psalms), to church groups gathering in ancient cities, and to humanity on the whole.
So, if God commands it, he must believe it is possible to achieve. He created us and knows what we are capable of on our best and worst days. He never asks us to do what He isn’t equipping us to do. He can equip us to be content. As Paul wrote to the church at Philipi:
Philippians 4:12-13
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Practice:
Think of the last time you were afraid. Perhaps you worried about the outcome of a job interview or application, showed concern about a bill that is coming due, or prayed in desperation for a family member. Sit with that memory for a second and feel where the fear showed up in your body. Was it a tightening of your chest? Was it a weight on your shoulders? Was it an ache in the back of your head? Where did you feel it?
Now, actively contract that muscle or area of your body and hold the inhale and contraction and then relax it with some exhale breaths. Do this several times, holding the contraction for at least three seconds and exhaling in a controlled manner for at least as long.
Now, add a breath prayer to this practice. With each inhale, think or say the short phrase “I know who you are.” And with each exhale, think of say “I rest in your strength.” Do this three times, deliberately, slowly, and in anxious anticipation that He keeps his promises.
Pause:
Use the space below to write additional breath prayers that you can keep at the ready when anxiety, worry, or fear creep in.
If you lack ideas, look up these verses and use language from them to inspire your prayers. For instance, Psalms 46:10 which reads “Be still and know that I am God,” can become the breath prayer “Be still, my soul/Rest in God.”
Here are others to consider: Psalms 34:4, John 14:27, 1 Peter 5:7, Psalms 56:3, Philipians 4:6-7, Isaiah 26:3, Psalms 94:19, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalms 23:1-3, Matthew 6:34, Romans 8:38-39, Proverbs 3:5-6, John 16:33, Psalms 27:1, Psalms 62:1, Joshua 1:9, Psalms 55:22, Isaiah 41:10, Lamentations 3:22-23
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