When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
Psalm 56:3-4 HCSB

The phrase “Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my” comes from The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man are walking down the yellow brick road and they come to a forest. They begin to be fearful of the animals, such as lions, tigers, and bears that may be in the forest. When they encounter the lion, he is a cowardly lion, certainly nothing they need to fear.

This phrase has come to refer to a feared unknown predator who may or may not exist. As we go through life, we will face many fears. In the world we live in today, it seems to become scarier with each newscast.

We are told many times in the Bible not to fear. I am told that that phrase appears in the Bible 365 times, one for each day of the year. But let’s face it, there are times when we just imagine those lions, tigers, and bears out there just waiting to devour us. We are warned in 1 Peter 5:8 that we should be alert because the devil roams around seeking someone to devour. We know that each day we face the very real threat that comes from the devil.

But we are also told in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Fear is a natural response to danger. But that fear is not what we should focus on. We should focus on God and trust in Him to deliver us from whatever may threaten us. We should exercise self control to be sure that we honor Him with the things that we say and do.

We must remember that when evil comes against us, God is for us. We must focus on Him and not allow the devil to distract us. When we are afraid, we must put our trust in the Lord.

Psalm 91 tells us all the ways and situations that God offers His protection to us when we choose to reside in the shelter of His shadow. When we rest securely in God’s shadow, we have nothing to fear. What can man, or even lions, tigers, and bears do to us?

Have a great weekend!