“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” — Nehemiah 8:10
In life, we must learn how to trust God’s goodness above our fears. This is especially true when we deeply desire something and fear that it may never come to pass. That kind of fear can sit quietly in the heart, whispering worst-case scenarios and tempting us to believe that disappointment will have the final word.
But fear does not get to be the final authority.
God’s goodness means that He is faithful. It means He is still loving, still present, still wise, and still able to do what He said He would do. However, this is where we also need maturity. Sometimes the struggle is not believing that God is good; sometimes the struggle is knowing what God actually said. Many of us have attributed things to God that were not God, and when those things did not happen, it hurt deeply because we wholeheartedly believed they came from Him.
That is why we must seek understanding. We must test what we believe, make sure it lines up with the Word of God, and continue to pray for wisdom. Trusting God’s goodness does not mean calling every desire a promise. It means bringing our desires before Him, asking for clarity, and trusting His character even when the outcome is still unfolding.
One thing that helps fight fear is rehearsing what God has already done. When fear tries to make you imagine the worst, remembrance reminds you of God’s faithfulness. If you are living on this earth, you can probably look back and remember a time when God carried you, kept you, strengthened you, protected you, or brought you through something you did not know how you would survive.
For me, I can look back and remember how God brought my husband to America during a time when travel restrictions could have affected him. His interview had originally been scheduled for a date when the travel ban would have prevented him from entering the country. But his interview was rescheduled just a few days before Christmas, right before the January 1 ban was set to take effect.
That experience reminds me that God is not limited by timing, systems, policies, or anything that looks impossible on paper.
I can also remember how God allowed me to travel back and forth to Nigeria four times to see my husband while we were waiting. Because I am a teacher, I was able to spend my entire summer vacation there, two full months at a time. That was a blessing in itself.
Because going to Nigeria one time is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but four times — four times in a row — I know that was the Lord. On each trip, I saw how God kept me, strengthened me, and protected me. He was with me as I navigated airports, adjusted to the details of international travel, crossed borders, and learned more about the world along the way.
Remembering those things helps calm the fear inside of me. It reminds me that God has not left me. It helps me stop rehearsing the worst-case scenario and gives me strength to keep praying, trusting, and believing.
This is where the joy of the Lord becomes our strength. It is not a shallow joy or a pretend happiness. It is the joy that comes from knowing the Lord for yourself. It is the joy that comes from remembering how He has shown up in your life before. It is the joy that says, “God has been faithful, and He is still worthy of my trust.”
When fear becomes louder than faith, people can make poor decisions. Fear can cause people to quit too soon, move too fast, settle for less, or make choices that change their lives forever. Fear can make a person believe that if they do not take control right now, nothing good will happen. But fear is a terrible leader. It may feel urgent, but it is not always wise.
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