Instead of Fear: What God Gives You When You Let Go of FearSample

Day 2: A Helping Hand

Five-year-old Ronnie was stuck.

After the skies cleared from a short rain shower, Ronnie’s family decided to go peach picking. The orchard was muddy, but that only added to the fun of collecting the ripe, juicy fruit. He was having a grand time until he realized that his shoe had sunk into the mud. He reached into the mud, but his hand began to sink in as well as his foot and now-lost shoe. 

Panic set in.

Ronnie began to cry and, predictably, his older siblings and cousin began to laugh rather than help. But for Ronnie this was not a laughing matter. He was afraid.

In a flash, the familiar hand of his father reached down and swiftly pulled him out. Relief came over Ronnie’s face and he quickly traded his anxiety for a desire for more peaches—provided he kept his hand in the security of his dad’s grasp.

Fear can be a sticky thing. Give it a place to grab hold and it can suck you down into a muddy pit. You might even feel that you’re going under, with little hope of rising back up. 

But God the Father has His strong and caring hand extended out to you. He's waiting for you to grab hold of His hand! Grab his Hand and drop the fear!

Sometimes fear can be overwhelming. Sometimes you may feel as though you can’t help but feel fear. But, God is able and willing to help you! And once you’re “up from the mud” His firm grasp is always there to keep you from sinking again even when the ground underneath you is unsteady. 

Let go of fear and hold on to God’s loving hand.

Things to Ponder:

• Have you ever felt stuck due to fear? How did you change how you felt?
• Are you currently feeling stuck because of fear?
• Is there something that is stopping you from taking God’s helping hand? If so, go ahead and ask God to give you the strength to hold His hand and trust Him and let go of the fear.