Perfect love makes the fear go away

A couple of years ago, I was getting ready to go a mission trip to Honduras. I have missed the date so that part does not really matter. What does matter is this picture you see you know the one that says, “Perfect love casts out fear”. Yes, that one. Diane got that for me before I left for Honduras because well she knows me. She knows fear creeps in a lot more than it should, and I obsess over all the things that could go wrong. I believe we call that anxiety in the real world, to me it is just a pain in every day life. So, then I am left with a choice to trust God or not. No, I am not knocking down anxiety/fear/panic or whatever else there is. I know it is real. I live it.

I guess I am just on here today because well I am in that moment of obsessing over what I can not change. I look at this picture hanging on my wall every morning and every night and I am reminded of what makes fear leave. The love of God which is so perfect in every way. When I am reminded of that it is easier to know the Lord is not obsessing over what could go wrong. He already knows, and maybe just maybe that’s what David meant when he said “hide me under the shadow of your wings”. I do not know I was not there in his brain at the time, but I am pretty sure fear creeped in his life. I do not really know if he was a panic attack waiting to happen all the time or if he just did it afraid anyway. I really do not even know of his fear. I know by the way he wrote he was in distress. I know he was sad and discouraged. I also know he put his Hope in who God said He was. I know He believed what He said was true.

One thing I am confident of is that David knew where to run and hide in times of trouble. So yes. Yes I did do a word study on “shadow of your wings”. I am still Sara..with shoes on today though. Not bitter. Not bitter. Just sharin my heart. Anyway, here is what I have found:

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

Psalms 17:8

“Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Interlude”

Psalms 61:4

And my favorite..

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.”

Psalms 57:1

He was running from Saul on that one. I think I love it so much (this is about to be super random) because well my dad’s chickens not too long ago hatched some baby chicks. If you know me then you know I am ALL about baby animals. I mean you know minus the creepy crawlers. Ok so some baby animals. None of this matters again, but when I was told about the new additions to the chicken family you know I had to go see. (No, Barbara Ann was not the mom – she is still a bully as always) For the longest I thought my dad had lost his mind, because I could not find the babies. All because she had them hidden under her wings. I guess because I was danger I mean obviously she did not know I was just coming to love them because she was not playin about her babies. At all. I bet she would have done anything to protect those chicks, and I just know our Father does the same. He becomes a shelter and a safe place where we can hide in times of trouble. So, then I have to ask myself all the time why am I afraid when I can run to the safest place there is? It is true, ya know? That perfect love makes the fear go away.

I do not figure David was describing a chicken and her young when he wrote about hiding under the shadow of His wings, but well I am not David! So, take me or leave me but I ain’t goin anywhere with my shoes on!!