Collision of Faith and Fear

Fear screamed, “You will die.” Ten of the twelve men sent to spy out the land of Canaan, and all the adults they influenced to believe the lie, could not enter the Promised Land because they let fear’s voice override God’s promise. Only two spies, Joshua and Caleb, embraced God’s blessings of the land of plenty. Why? When they saw the giants and strength of the people, they chose to trust God’s promise for victory (Numbers 13–14):  “. . . Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your God which goeth before you, He shall fight for you . . .” (Deuteronomy 1:29–30a).

Fear screamed over and over, “He’s going to die.” But God whispered only once, “Timothy is going to be better than before.” We chose to believe in God for a miracle. The grim diagnosis of Timothy being a “vegetable,” if he survived the surgery, was wrong—The Great Physician was in charge. Fear tried to rob us of our trust in God’s ability, but our faith in Him, who is always faithful, overrode the shouter of the lie. Though God didn’t cause Timothy’s tragic accident, He used it and the events that followed to test and strengthen our faith-walk with Him. We learned to wait on God and praise Him amid the storm of those trying weeks and the years of recovery that followed. That was twenty-eight years ago today. God didn’t disappoint. Timothy is a young man now, and though he faces physical challenges daily, he loves and serves God and His people and is a blessing to all who know him. When fear and faith collide, choose to trust in our God, who goes before us and fights for us. Great is His faithfulness—our grandson is living proof. Thank You, Lord.