Overcoming Fear

 

Daniel 6:23 (NET) - Then the king was delighted and gave an order to haul Daniel up from the den. So Daniel was hauled up out of the den. He had no injury of any kind, because he had trusted in his God.

The account of Daniel in the den of lions is one of those we learn in our childhood.

Darius selects over one hundred leaders to help rule his kingdom.

From these, three would be selected as supervisors over the rest.

Try as they might, these leaders and other supervisors tried to find fault with Daniel.

Failing this, they tried to discredit Daniel based on his relationship with God.

They approached Darius with a devious plan.

They suggested that Darius impose a law stating that anyone who prays must pray to Darius alone.

They also proposed that anyone who broke this law should be cast into a den of lions.

Darius agreed and the new law was put into effect.

Daniel knew about the new law.

That did not stop him from praying to God.

The conspirators then reported to Darius how Daniel was in violation of the new law.

Darius liked Daniel so the news disturbed him greatly.

Try as he might, Darius could not think of a way around his new law.

Darius sadly gave the order to have Daniel arrested and thrown into the den of lions.

Throughout the rest of the day and night, Darius feared for the safety of Daniel.

At dawn the following day, Darius rushed to the den to see if God had kept Daniel safe.

To the great relief of Darius, God had.

Darius ordered that Daniel be immediately removed from the den.

He understood that God kept Daniel safe.

Now being cast into a den of lions is a frightening proposition.

But in today’s world fears abound and take various forms.

Some of these fears are real, whereas some are only imaginary,

But even imaginary fears feel real to the person so afflicted.

But fears, both real and imagined, can be dealt with.

Scripture tells us exactly how to effectively deal with fear,

1 Corinthians 16:13 (NET) - Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong.

Overcoming our own fears is one thing.

Helping others to overcome theirs is another.

Perhaps that is why the very next verse reminds us whatever we do should be rooted in love.

1 Corinthians 16:14 (NET) - Everything you do should be done in love.

Loving others is the best first step in helping them overcome their fears.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 16, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, October 23, 2020