• When Fear Comes Calling

    By: Kristen L. McNulty



    Life can seem mundane in some moments, exciting in the next. There are days when we walk in faith and in confidence and then there are days when we're so afraid of taking a step of faith that want to run in the other direction.

    That’s the boat that the Israelite's also found themselves in.

    You probably know the story. The people of Israel were trapped in Egypt and they were oppressed. God raised up Moses to lead the people out of Egypt and to a place He had prepared for them, the Promised Land.

    On their way out of Egypt the nation of Israel faced many hardships, but God was right there with them. And He did many miraculous things to get them to the Promised Land, including parting the red sea and literally washing away the enemies that sought to destroy them.

    But when Israel reached the Promised Land, the place that God told them He wanted them to inhabit, the memories of what God had done started to fade away as fear clouded their vision in a way that only fear can do.

    After sending out scouts to look at the land they saw things they liked, like how plentiful the land was, but they also saw things they didn't like including the size of the settlements already there and the size of the men living there. They were afraid and started to doubt God's place in the plan.

    Caleb in faith said let's go and take the land that God had promised, but the others wouldn't hear of it. They spread fear throughout the camp and before long an entire nation was no longer looking back to see what God had brought them through. Instead they were looking ahead and seeing only obstacles.

    So rather than trust that God had a God-sized way to take care of the problem, they stayed where they were because they couldn't see a human way to get the job done.

    Have you found yourself here? Maybe you've got an incredible but somewhat risky job opportunity presented to you and you know this is where God wants you, but instead of seeing the vastness of His power, you only see the expanse of your limitations. Or maybe you feel called to take a step of faith and leave one ministry behind to start another and instead of seeing how faithful God was to you in the past, you can only doubt if He's going to show up this time.

    Our Promised Lands take on different forms, but many of our fears are the same as the ones experienced by Israel in that desert. The nation of Israel made a tragic mistake though. Instead of holding onto their faith in who God is they gave into their fear and refused to enter the land that God had promised them. As a result wandered in the desert for over 40 years.

    This is life in a nutshell. Because at some point we all will have to choose between staying where we are or going to the place that God has prepared. Are you going to follow their example and spend your life wandering due to fear? Or are you going to follow the example of those like David before Goliath, who rise up in the face of what seem to be very poor odds and because of their faith find out that victory had nothing to do with their strength or abilities, but everything to do with who God is?

    God is faithful and will meet you in the middle of your biggest obstacle, deepest valley and highest peak. And He does incredible things through the lives of people who don't let fear stop their legs from moving.

    "Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
    I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."
    (Isaiah 41:10)

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

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