For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.
2 Corinthians 7:5-7
The level of opposition, persecution, and hardship the Apostle Paul endured is hard for us to fathom. He was beaten, jailed, stoned, and harassed. He was tired, hungry, shipwrecked, and stranded. He was often run out of the towns where he preached the gospel, sometimes after just a few days. There was an organized group that followed Paul from city to city, stirring up trouble and falsely accusing him of all kinds of bad behavior. When Paul talked about struggling with fear, he was not speaking hypothetically or metaphorically. He was revealing the reality of the battles he faced day after day.
We see troubles around us in our world today. There is economic uncertainty, civil unrest, and an increasing rejection of biblical truth. While not everything people fear is real, there are real things of which to be afraid. Yet we do not have to be dominated and controlled by fear. That is not God’s plan for us. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). When we do have things that could be a source of fear, we always have the option of turning to God for help and comfort.
God is not indifferent to the things that concern us. He is fully aware of the pains and hardships and troubles we face. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He will never forsake us, and we can always count on Him.
