Psalm 46:1-2

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even in earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.”

When I was in seventh grade, Iben Browning predicted a massive earthquake would hit the New Madrid fault line on or around December 2, 1990. My school was about an hour north of the epicenter, so to be cautious, the administration called off classes for two days like many other area schools. Those two days off were just a bonus for the 12-year-old me. Taking cues from my dad, who took my sister and I out for a hamburger lunch on the dreaded December 2, I scoffed at Browning’s predictions. Almost 19 years later, the New Madrid fault line has yet to be struck by a devastating earthquake. Though scientists still think a disaster is waiting to happen, no one has been bold enough to make predictions since Browning.

I wish I could always adopt that carefree 12-year-old attitude about portending troubles, but I don’t. It’s not as easy to laugh off things like a loss of income or marriage problems. However, it is human nature to be gripped by fear and worry when troubles come. For most of my life, I’ve been held back by fear—fear of social rejection, fear of conflict, fear of abandonment. Those fears are far more real than a predicted earthquake that doesn’t happen, and sometimes I let them become roadblocks to faith.

I listened to David Jeremiah’s radio sermon before I started writing today, and his message on fear couldn’t have been more timely. He referred to 1 John 4:16-18:

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us.” (emphasis added)

David Jeremiah said that the opposite of fear is not trust or belief, but love, as this passage describes. If we focus on how much God loves us, our fears will diminish, because his perfect love casts out all our fears. Is there anything more fearful than wondering if our salvation is secure? I mean, the scariest thing on earth is death, but what about after death? This 1 John passage makes it clear; we don’t have to be afraid of the day of judgment (or anything else) if God, who is love, lives in us.

So, if you are fearful today, steep yourself in the truth of how much your Heavenly Father loves you, and put your trust in him. God is madly in love with you and wants you to fill your heart with his love. He truly is your refuge and strength, and he is ready to help in any kind of trouble you face now or in the future. Earthquake or not.

Copyright 2009