To Live Without Fear

Posted on February 27, 2009 12:00 AM MST by Tiffany Kinerson

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for You are with me...." –Psalm 23:4

When we were first married, Rob and I lived on an Air Force base in Phoenix. His assignment was to train in the F-16s for nine months. As time went on, some of the other trainees began to have problems. Serious problems. In a span of two weeks, we had three jet crashes on our base.

Now, I’m not one to worry. It just never occurs to me to do that. But with a new husband, a new life, and a future I pictured beside only Rob, the crashes began to get to me. So one time, on my way to the commissary for groceries, I whispered a prayer to God. “Should I worry? Am I a fool to move on with my life and trust him while he’s strapped to that dive bombing fighter jet?”

I rounded the next bend and the commissary materialized into view. Then God’s words also emerged as clear in my mind as the building before me. “When it’s Rob’s time to go, I do not need a jet to take him. I could take him on the way to the commissary.” I glanced back toward the runway and sighed. God had him. And in that, there were no worries. Renewed, I went on with the regular day.

A few years later, with Rob deployed to Iraq and two babies on my hip, more news to encourage worry crept into our family. Incoming SCUDs set off alarms time after time in Rob’s Qatar-based squadron. Each time, my husband threw chemical warfare gear on and ran into the bunkers with the rest of his squadron. The Patriot missiles protected them from hits, but...was an electronic safety net something I could trust?

Hidden in my closet to not upset the kids,  I shot up a similar prayer once more. “God, are you sure You have him in Your hand?”

In answer, all I could remember was the picture of that commissary. Yes, God still had my husband, and He still didn’t need a jet or a war if it was time to take Rob.

God doesn’t need weapons. He is God. And it is this simple: when our life is in His hands, it’s in His hands. Stonewall Jackson said he felt as safe in battle as in bed. He said, “God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to always be ready, no matter when it may overtake me.” When this kind of knowledge soaks into the heart of our belief system, then we can finally be powerful. We have nothing to fear if God is on our side.

During these times that can press worry into your heart and threaten to overtake your bravery or your sound mind, take heart, my friend. God’s got you, and you can fear no evil.

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