I’m a fraidy cat when it comes to anticipating pain, so when I faced the reality of surgery, I began worrying several weeks in advance. One morning I confided my fears to a friend, expecting her understanding sympathy. Instead, she asked me a convicting question. “Which of God’s promises are you claiming in this struggle?”
“Promises?” I stammered. “Well…” I paused, frantically searching my suddenly blank mind for an appropriate verse. The embarrassing truth is that I had prayed lots about my fears but I’d not even thought of finding an appropriate promise to meet this need.
“There are approximately 37 thousand promises in the Bible,” my friend continued. “Find one and fix it firmly in your mind so you can focus on it whenever you start feeling afraid,” she told me.
That afternoon I sat down with my Bible and settled on Isaiah 41:10:
Fear not, for I am with you,
Be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
She was right! That powerful visual image of God’s promise to “uphold me in His hand” filled my mind and comforted me, even as I was being wheeled down the hall to surgery.
Lord, remind me to turn to Your Bible—full of promises whenever I anticipate fear.
