Faith Trumps Fear

“The presidency is bigger than any one person,” President Barack Obama said on November 9, 2016, the day after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to become the 45th president of the United States. But as I turned on the news and watched the stock market plummet and world leaders weigh in, it seemed that this one person was causing a lot of concern and sending shock waves across the globe. Fear of the future is real.

Throughout the campaign our new president-elect was a source of anxiety, now officially labeled “Trump Trauma.” According to a Washington Post article on March 6, psychologists and massage therapists have been busy since the primaries, treating election anxiety that is mostly related to Donald Trump. Alcohol poisoning also became a heightened concern, sparked by drinking games during the debates. This fall, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned viewers who decided to drink every time Trump told a lie that they “… could very well die of alcohol poisoning. … We can’t impress enough on people about the danger of mixing alcohol and watching the GOP debates.” Now with a Trump victory sealed, trauma and anxiety will likely rise. Ironically, our future president is already creating more jobs even before he takes office–jobs for addiction counselors and psychologists!

As I read my “Jesus Calling” devotion this morning, I smiled at the seemingly divine timing of the words in front of me, “Sit quietly with me, letting all your fears and worries bubble up to the surface of your consciousness. There, in the Light of My Presence, the bubbles pop and disappear. However, some fears surface over and over again, especially fear of the future.”

Fear is a natural human reaction, but if left unchecked, it can trap us in a constant state of anxiety. What we focus on truly matters.

In the story of Daniel and the lions' den, a royal decree proclaimed that anyone caught praying to someone other than the king would be thrown to the lions. Daniel faced a life-threatening decision.

What would he do?

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

— Daniel 6:10

Daniel was completely unmoved and unaffected by this man-made, irrevocable decree or the imminent threat of the lions' den! He did not let fear hijack his steadfast devotion. His focus remained anchored entirely on God.

In a sermon on the book of Daniel on Aug. 6, 2016, Traders Point Pastor Aaron Brockett said, "Daniel understood that God is in control of who is in control. If you’re trusting in Jesus, there is no room for despair. Concern is ok, but not despair.”

Today, I am comforted in knowing that the ultimate control of this world lies beyond this world. Faith trumps fear every time. It even trumps The Donald.