I prayed to the Lord and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

How did you respond to your own fears during the worldwide pandemic? Did you feed them by taking in more negative information. Fear is usually at the bottom of a lot of unhealthy, unconscious behavior.

We often try to do everything we can to control fearful situations facing us. Or we may become paralyzed like the small boy who climbed too high up a tree. Glancing down, he realized just how terrifying his situation was. One slip and he’d be seriously injured by the fall. Suddenly, the boy found himself unable to move, clinging to a branch with sweaty hands. It was only when the boy’s father came along and encouraged him to jump into his arms that the boy began to calm down. He was still high up the tree with a long fall below him, but the boy knew his Father would help him.

The Bible’s Psalm 34, verse 4 says, “I prayed to the Lord and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” This scripture teaches us that overcoming debilitating fear requires change in focus. When we’re consumed by fear, we can turn toward God and shift our focus to Him. God, then, does the work of answering us and delivering us from our fears. We can learn the practice of taking our eyes off the thing disquieting us, to focus on our all-powerful God. His strength and hope will melt away our fears.

Keep Psalm 34:4 nearby! Write it down or place it on your phone’s lock screen. When you feel afraid, look to that reminder and practice instantly shifting your focus to God.