“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NASB).

My dog was acting funny one evening. He was actually shaking which worried me. I thought if he is not better tomorrow, we are off to the vet. The next morning, I noticed that he would not go outside. My dog usually cannot wait to go outside and do his thing. He also seemed nervous about eating. Being the good pet owner that I am, I ate my breakfast with him while he ate his breakfast.

After breakfast, I went outside with him. He would not leave my side. He was again shaking. Something had definitely spooked him the day before. I should explain that I have a 100-pound American Bulldog, American Staffordshire mix. He is a big, scary dog. He is also a very tender, gentle dog.

To help him, I walked into the grass area and he followed. He would not leave my side, however, and do his duty. I went and sat on the wall that separates my garden area from that section of yard. I was hoping that would encourage him to venture out and do his duty. He only came to where I was and sat down. He would not venture away from me.

As I sat there pondering my dog’s fear and my willingness to walk in his fear with him, I got a picture of God. God wants to walk in our fears with us. He does not expect us to face them alone. When He asks us to have courage, it is because He goes with us. This verse in Isaiah is such a beautiful promise.

• We can face our fears because He is with us. My dog could face his fears because I was with him.
• We can learn to not be anxious because He is our God. My dog was a bit anxious but his trust in me made him let go of his anxiety. As we trust God, anxiety loses its grip on us.
• Our strength is in God who will help us. My dog trusted that I would help him.
• God will uphold us with His righteousness. I cannot say I would do that for my dog, but my dog knew he was not alone in facing his fear. He found strength in my strength. We find strength in God’s righteousness toward us.

I am happy to say that by the afternoon, my dog was showing less fear. He walked farther away from me and did his duty. He still looked to see that I was there, but he was braver.

I am so much like my dog in my relationship with God. I make sure God is still with me as I face my fears. As God walks with me, I get braver. While I am being braver, I make sure God is still nearby.

As I helped my dog face his fears, God helps us face our fears. As we find His strength to face our fears, we gain courage for future fears. God’s desire is for us to overcome our fears, not to fight them or flee them.   He wants us to overcome our fears by resting in His strength and presence in our lives. He wants for us, what I wanted for my dog. I wanted him to feel safe and secure in an uncertain place. God wants us to feel safe and secure as we live in an uncertain world.

Let us overcome our fears knowing that God is our God. He is with us