Parenting In Spite of Fear, Part 1
By Lynette Bowman

There are 365 verses addressing fear in our Bibles. That’s one for each day of the year, although my son was quick to point out Leap Year kinda messes that up. Nevertheless, God knew we were a fearful people. He knew our fears long before we even knew what we would fear. And knowing this, He saw fit to reveal in His revelation numerous verses to encourage us to not fear.

Our nation recently celebrated the anniversary of the infamous 9/11 attacks on our country. I was pregnant with our first child. I wondered, “Into what kind world would I bring my child? What would our country be like? Would there be any good? How evil would it become? Would this type of atrocity be commonplace? What if I couldn’t keep him/her safe? What if our country was overrun by terrorists, and they tortured us for our faith? What if…?”…BUT GOD!

That’s right, but God…But God: Jehovah-Jireh [the Lord will provide a sacrifice], Jehovah-Rapha [the Lord that heals], Jehovah-Shammah [the Lord is present], Jehovah-Shalom [the Lord our peace], Jehovah-Nissi [the Lord our banner], Jehovah-Raah [the Lord my Shepherd], Jehovah-Tsidkenu [the Lord our righteousness]. He is the Lord God Almighty, The Most High God, Master, the Lord who sanctifies, the Everlasting God, and the Lord of Hosts. He is the Creator and Sustainer, the bright morning Star, the Comforter, the Savior, Holy, and Righteous!

Be reminded, believer, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separated us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 35-39, ESV)

For most of my pregnancy, I aimed to meditate on all of this. Of further comfort, the child I was carrying is His image bearer. We are all image bearers. We were created in His image and reflect His image. This precious baby growing inside was ordained to arrive at the right time and the right place. God knew about 9/11, and He knew I’d just found out I was pregnant. God is in the details, no matter how trivial and small they may seem.

As believers, we are His saints, His children; we have been redeemed and have been forgiven. This does not mean life is sunshine and lollypops. However, we have an eternal source for joy that can calm us in our most fearful times. We can move forward in faith, no matter how small it may be. Parenting is not for the faint of heart, but for the believer, it need not grip us in fear. But God…