Mid-term elections are upon us. Like many of you, I have heard the good, bad, and the ugly as politicians on both sides of the aisle spew their rhetoric. When they make claims that are opposing one another, I must conclude that one (or possibly both) is lying.
There was a time when a man’s word was his bond. You could count on his truthfulness and honor a verbal contract with a simple handshake. Those days (for the most part) are gone. Written contracts are very necessary, and even then, they are not always honored.
Whether it be in presidential or med-term elections one side accuses the other of trying to end social security, take away our private healthcare insurance, or destroy Medicare. If you are a senior adult living on a fixed income, these claims can cause anxiety and fear.
Fear of anything can be real. Fear can rob us of peace of mind and cause sleepless nights. However, there is a remedy for fear and anxiety as given to us in God’s Word. In Psalm 56: 3-4 the psalmist David said, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His Word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?”
Faith overcomes fear. Through faith the psalmist breaks through the doubt and gloom with the confident declaration, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” This confidence is based on the character of God and on the faithfulness of His promises. He is more powerful than all our foes combined, and He has promised to protect us from harm. Nothing can penetrate the protective hedge which He sets up around us except by His permissive will. This is why we can trust in God without a fear.
The psalmist went on to say, “I will trust in His Word.” Everything that God has promised is guaranteed to be fulfilled because “Not one word of His promises has failed.” The promises of God are like a check written on the Bank of Heaven; they will be cashed because God stakes His reputation as God on them.
The psalmist further states that he will not fear because he has put his trust in God. To trust someone is to believe without doubt that they will fulfill their promise to you. God has promised to “Never leave us, nor forsake us.” (Hebrews 12:5)
Finally, the psalmist asks, “What can mere man do to me?” Any reasonable person might reply “Plenty!” reason might answer, “Plenty!” Man can persecute, injure, maim, shoot, and kill.” But the fact is that the child of God is immortal until His work is done. Only then will He usher us into His glorious presence to receive (again) all that He has promised us when we trusted Him for His wonderful gift of salvation.
Jerry L. Dunn is pastor of Oak Street Baptist Church, 605 E. Oak St., Kingman
