Thursday, December 2, 2021

December 3, 2021

Week One / Friday

Overcoming the Fear of…

Being Abandoned


He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day...  - Psalm 91:4-5

 

Fear of abandonment or rejection has motivated much of my behavior in life.  When reading the novel Ivanhoe as a youngster, I realized that I would need to be an obedient son in order not to be disowned by my parents.  When difficulties occurred between my parents, I felt the need to be a good son so one of them would not abandon the family in a divorce.  If mistakes were made, I believed they should be hidden so God would not be displeased and take away His blessings or protection.

King David, who wrote Psalm 91, suffered the loss of his city one day.  He came home to the burnt frame of the town, to find that raiders had come and taken everything of value: his gold, his goods, his family, his soldiers' families… and the raiders had destroyed the rest.  Some of the men with him spoke of stoning him because they thought that God had clearly abandoned him.  But, after the initial grief had washed over them, scripture says, "David found strength in the Lord his God." (1 Samuel 30:6) Then, he inquired of the Lord and was told that he was to pursue the raiders, for he would retake all that he and his men had lost.

Even when things go wrong in our lives, when bad things happen all around us, God assures us of His concern, care, and protection.  

 

 

As it says in Psalm 91, "...under His wings you will find refuge, His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." 

In what ways do you fear being abandoned?                  


Read Psalm 91:4-5 one more time.

  • What does this scripture tell you about God?  


  • What does this scripture tell you about your fear?


 

Prayer for Today: Lord God, let me not lose my faith because of fear or difficulty.  Let me always take refuge under your wing and find strength in you.  In Christ’s Name, Amen. 

 

Written by: David Bell

Retired Pastor, Small Group Leader

 

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