"Fighting Fear with Faithfulness"

"...Like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."

1 Peter 3:6

A terrible phone call.  A disappointing doctor's visit.  A pop quiz.  A check engine light.  A wrong turn.  As hard as we try, we cannot avoid fear and anxiety.  They creep up on us, often at very vulnerable times.  What we do with our fear?  How do we cast off our anxiety?  I love these words that are shared, particularly for women, by John Piper.

"First Peter 3:6b shows us what hope looks like in the stresses and threats of real life... The presence of hope drives out fear. The daughters of Sarah do not fear anything but displeasing God. Or to be more accurate, the daughters of Sarah fight the anxiety that rises in their hearts. They wage war on fear, and they defeat it with the promises of God.... They fight fear with the faithfulness of God—'Sarah considered him faithful who had promised' (Hebrews 11:11). And then they do what Peter says in 4:19, 'Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.' They affirm the sovereign rule of God over their suffering and that they do not suffer apart from his will, and they rest their souls in the firm and omnipotent hands of a faithful Creator. They cast out fear and they hope in God. And so they prove to be the daughters of Sarah and heirs according to the promise."

--John Piper, Mothers Day Message (May 1986). 

And so my mind goes to that timeless hymn...

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

~ Carrie ~