When Fear Becomes A Snare
Proverbs 29:25 KJV says:
"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."
The Bible warns us against placing our trust in people rather than in God. When we become overly concerned about what people may think, say, or do, fear can become a snare that keeps us from trusting the Lord.
Remember Abram when he traveled to Egypt and became afraid of what might happen to him because of Sarai?
Genesis 12:11-16 NLT says:
"As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, 'Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, "This is his wife. Let's kill him; then we can have her!" So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.' And sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai's beauty. When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace. Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her—sheep, goats, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels."
Abram's fear led him to take matters into his own hands, and his plan backfired. But God still protected him.
I think this is a wonderful reminder for us. Even in our weaknesses, and even in those moments when we fail, God can help us, protect us, and teach us to seek Him first in all things.
Perhaps you have had moments when fear caused you to make a decision you later regretted. Maybe you were more concerned about what someone else might think than about trusting God. If so, remember that our failures do not mean God has abandoned us.
The answer is not to put our trust in ourselves or in other people. The answer is to put our trust in the Lord.
The last part of Proverbs 16:20 says:
"…whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he."
What a beautiful promise. When we trust the Lord, we don't have to be controlled by the fear of people or by the fear of what might happen.
So today, let's put our trust in Jesus. When we make a mistake, turn to Him. When we don't know what to do, turn to Him.