Fear Just Got Real

I love the passionate song by Zach Williams called Fear is a Liar, and it's on my playlists of liked songs and most played songs. However, it does pose the question 'what do I do with the fears that have come true?' I mean, what if I'm in this beautiful season of my life, and the enemy taunts me with fear, and then what I fear actually ends up happening - what do I do with this fear now? Do I disregard it the next time I'm in that season of joy? How could I, after what happened last time?

I guess what I'm asking is, how do we find joy when our fears become very, very, real?

Sometimes, your fears will come true. During a season of life, like falling in love, a new family's first pregnancy, or a really great work promotion, where it should be filled with light, joy, and excitement, the enemy will taunt you with fear - 'previsions' of how it could fail: rejection, miscarriage, or a worldwide pandemic resulting in job loss and first-in-first-out perhaps. It's all well and good to push these fears aside for a while, to will them out of being, to fake it till you make it and to look at the bright side - but it can be confusing when the fears become real... when they have weight to them... when there's nothing to say that they won't happen. I know.

But here's a truth: God never said these bad things wouldn't happen to us. And another truth: "the Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made (1)." No, these truths are not conflicting. He knew we would experience heartbreak and pain, and he prepared us for this.

He says "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world."

John 16:33

I recently heard the story of a young family who was blessed with the news that they were pregnant with twins, which was followed by much excitement, planning, joy, and, of course, fear, but preparations were made for the arrival of the new additions. When the time came for the babies to be born, the mother gave birth to two, perfect, stillborn, boys. She knew at the time that she couldn't survive without sorting this through with her Father in heaven, believing that, even then, He is good. She drove home to deliver the news to their 5-year-old daughter, who was sitting on the front steps waiting to meet her little brothers. She looked her daughter in the eye and told her that, there are some babies that God chooses to take to heaven. Her little girl clasped her hands against her chest and said, "Oh Mommy, He picked you."

We are guaranteed that we will suffer in this world, and we can be sure that God is still good, but maybe there's more to suffering. What if it's suffering that brings unlikely joy? What if there is appointment in disappointment? What if God allows the things we fear to happen, to bring Him glory? What if we are chosen to die with Christ so that we may rise with Him also? What if pain, is actually, promotion?

If this is all true, then surely: I can rejoice, and rejoice always.

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