“Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.  Just to take him at his word.  Just to rest upon his promise.  Just to know, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’  Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him.  How I’ve proved him over and over.  Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh for grace to trust him more.”  I learned these words as a child.  We sang them often in our church services.  I’m glad we did because they still resonate in my mind.  I remember them during times when I need them.  I find myself singing them when I need to choose faith over fear, when I need to remember the promises of God and how they apply to my life, when I need to “let go, and let God.”  They remind me that God is completely trustworthy.

I was visiting with my brother-in-law and his wife several months ago.  As we were chatting with them in the living room, I could not help but notice the behavior of their family dog, who looked to me like he was a pit bull.  At first glance, he appeared to be the kind of dog you would not want to meet in a dark alley, or anywhere for that matter.  He was big, strong, and seemingly more than capable of handling himself in all situations.  And yet, I soon discovered the dog’s demeanor was the exact opposite.  Rather than ferocious, he was bashful and fearful of anyone except his owner.  When I reached down to pet him, he cowered.  I soon learned he had been attacked by another dog in the past and nearly died.  Though he survived, his life was now one of fear.  He trusted neither human nor animal.  And his face conveyed this anxiety he carried with him with a constant look of worry.  I felt extremely sorry for the dog the more I observed him.

“This dog has no idea who he is or what he is capable of,” my sister-in-law said.  When she uttered these words, they struck me.  I immediately made a spiritual application.  Perhaps this is what I look like when I choose fear over faith, when I give way to anxiety instead of allowing the Lord’s peace to reign in my life, when I do not recognize the power of God within me.  Maybe this is what the Lord says about me.  “He has no idea who he is or what he is capable of.”  I think it’s true, more times than not.  God has given us everything we need to face the challenges of life.  And that “everything” consists of him, who he is, what he has done for us, who he has made us to be, our identity in him.  But too often, we choose fear over faith.  We choose not to believe this.

If you look in the Bible, there are many situations when Biblical characters are faced with the choice of whether they are going to allow their extenuating circumstances to get the best of them or whether they will believe God is greater than those circumstances.  David passes the test with Goliath.  Peter doesn’t and falls into the water.  Joshua and Caleb believe God will certainly give them the Promised Land.  The other ten spies do not believe and poison the faith of the Israelites.  The pattern is consistent throughout Scripture.  When faith is chosen, when God is believed and trusted to be bigger than the opposition, God is given the opportunity to prove himself.  When this belief is absent, when there is a lack of faith, the consequences are faithless as well.

I wish I could recount the entire story I heard preached in a sermon from a good friend of mine recently.  I do not recall the complete context, but I do remember several sentences that struck me from his illustration.  A man is faced with dire circumstances.  His enemies are threatening to take his life.  He is faced with a kind of fear that many of us will never be faced with.  A fear that is paralyzing, tormenting, debilitating.  Yet, in that moment, amazingly, surprisingly, faith wins the day instead, as he is reminded of the presence and promises of God through the gentle whispers of the Spirit.  Faced with crippling fear, the Spirit whispers to him not to be afraid.  He hears the words, “Your life is not in your hands . . . Nor is it in the hands of your enemies . . . I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Peace is the result and the man’s life is saved.  Did you know the same is true of you and me?  What if we chose to believe it?  Will you choose to believe it today?