Living without fear

At 32,000 feet, I sometimes imagine what it would be like if the airplane lost its engines. On a busy highway, I wonder about careening vehicles and big trucks coming out of nowhere. While these thoughts don’t keep me awake at night or fearful during a flight or travelling in my car, I’ve seen folks driving or riding with white knuckles and fear evident on their faces. 

A few weeks ago, a friend drove me through our city to a meeting. Her fear of traffic was obvious. My husband and I just left Barbados with its narrow roads and late afternoon bumper to bumper traffic. We drove the center of Bridgetown and decided that would happen only once. How would my friend do this? How did we do it? Those islanders drive on the left side of the road, with roundabouts and unexpected one-way streets, no signs and no parking. We shake our heads at the memory of it. But we were not afraid for our lives, just perplexed that we couldn’t find what we were looking for.

Early this morning we got on a plane for Miami. This city airport is a small city itself and driving in and out of here is as confusing with signs as Bridgetown is without them. As I sit here waiting for our next flight, I watch travelers. Some of them are relaxed; most look frustrated and many seem fearful. Do they worry about their plane falling out of the sky, or their car being a statistic on these frantic streets? 

Today’s devotional makes me say “ahhh” and breathe a sigh of thanksgiving to God for His mercy, love and grace --- mercy because I do not deserve love and grace, love because He has made His love real to me, and grace because my life is made valuable by Jesus Christ. The verse offers wonderful promises…

Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:9–11)

As easily as I can imagine a plane falling out of the sky, I can see a myriad of angels holding it up. Instead of an out-of-control vehicle smashing into me, I can picture a thousand angels directing traffic on those busy highways. Rather than getting lost for days in a melee of confusing one-way streets without any street signs, I can laugh and remember that a quick prayer brought us the way out and the way home.

We will soon leave this massive airport and land in a smaller one where we will visit our daughter and her husband for a few days. I cannot post this until we get there, for this airport charges a fee for WiFi  which I will not pay just for a quick post. However, God gave me these rich thoughts for rest of today…

He is where I live. No matter where I am, I am in Christ. He is my refuge and my strength. He controls what happens to me and will not allow evil or illness unless he has purpose for it. His angels are serving His desire to take care of me, and because of His grace, I can live without fear.