He delievers us from our Fears

Today I read Psalms, it was just a random break in-between my normal reading because right now I'm in Ezekiel and let's face it, you gotta really concentrate with them prophets... so I thought something light but always uplifting that I can really let simmer in my mind today would be nice for my sick-faced, groggy-eyed self.
I turned to Psalm 34, read it through and realized something I had never realized before...
That Psalm is great. It's so encouraging that the Lord will always be with us, even when we're unfaithful like David was in front of Ambimelech. How many times do I "pretend" like everything's ok (or in his case, not ok!) when in reality I just need Jesus to save me from myself! And He is always faithful even when we our faithless. It's amazing.
In verse 4 it says, "I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delievered me from al my fears."
I have "He heard me" underlined, because it's great to know I serve a God that when I cry out to Him, HE HEARS! He seriously hears each one of my cries. How amazing!
I have "delievered" underlined... because honestly... too often I just want to be delievered. I always underline "delievered" in my Bible and whenever I'm going through trials or difficulties I just look and look again, our God is a God who delieveres the ones who love Him!
But what I didn't have underlined was "Fears", and this time it really stuck out to me.
The verse doesn't say, "I'll deliever you from your actual troubles"... it doesn't say "I'll deliever when you're in a real pickle"... or even "Before you die, I'll deliever, don't you worry".... no, no, no... our God does one better... He delievers from Fears!
That means, I don't even have to be in the midst of the actual problem, if I'm just worried about it, God is willing to deliever me from it. Maybe not always in a physical way... sometimes He wants us to go through troubling times so that He can mold and shape us, so that we draw closer to Him and learn to depend more on Him and His unending faithfulness.
But it does mean I serve a God who is fully capable and fully willing to steal my fears away and replace them with perfect peace and comfort. He is the God who delievers from Fears! and not just some fears, but ALL fears!

Honestly, I'm fearful A LOT! In practical and impractical ways. In possible, plausible and completely impossible, ridiculous ways... hey guess what, I have a fear of sharks... grew up in California and the Jaws music was always playing in the back of my head... but now I live in Jordan and there isn't even an ocean in sight... but I'm still afraid of them... impossible fears do exist in my life.  But He is the God who is willing to take everything I'm afraid of... from the days I'm weak at the knees about going across town by myself ... to saying something wrong in another language... or burning the Betty Crocker baked goods I'm making for a neighbor... or just meeting that neighbor! All my fears can be surrendered and then completely consumed by Him!
Jesus is the one who takes away our fears... all our fears. He's the One who is willing to take every little bit of worry and fearfulness we have and replace it with His love... knowing that He thinks the world of us and more and that I could never be more loved, so I need never look for more than what He gives me.... He replaces it with His confidence... knowing that the God of all creation is on my side, He's standing with me, He goes to every part of town, country, people I go to, He is my defense and my deliever, the One who makes me say "Whom shall I fear"... what do I have to be afraid of when I have the God of the universe on my side?... He replaces those fears with His comfort... knowing that wherever I am, I am engulfed in my Savior's arms. I have His Word hidden in my heart, I can pray to Him and He hears and He answers and His heart is to comfort me like a mother comforts her crying children.

He is the God who doesn't just deliever in my trouble... though He does... every hardship I've ever gone through, I've only ever made it through because He was with me, holding my hand... getting me through even when I didn't think so. But He is the God who delievers me from the fear that engulfs me when faced with such troubles. He is the God who equips me with the strength to stand and say "Whom shall I fear!?" because He has taken my fears. He has prepared me with a heart of peace and a mind stayed on Him.

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."
Is. 26:3
"I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid?" Is. 51:12

Really who am I that I should be afraid? My God delievers me from my fears, He fights my battles for me, He's faithful to always see me through till the end. He loves me!
What a gracious and loving God I serve :)