Overwhelmed Parents

In the King James version of the bible the phrase “Fear not” appears 74 times. The phrase “be not afraid” appears in the King James version 29 times.
Here are some other great verses about fear:

2 Timothy 1:7	Psalm 55:1-2, 4-5	Psalm 27:1
Isaiah 41:10	Psalm 34:4	Philippians 4:6-7
Matthew 6:25-34	1 Peter 5:6-7	John 14:27

Parent’s can trust that God has protected His servant sin the past and He can protect His servants in the future!

If you could forget that God’s anointed David slew the giant Goliath, your answers to the following questions would be obvious. What would be the answers to the following questions directed to, future king, David’s parents

• If you had known that the Hebrew army was cowering and hiding from an undefeatable giant foe, would you send your “baby boy” to see his older brothers?
• If you heard David was planning on battling an overwhelming Philistine giant would you encourage him or forbid him to fight?
• If you heard that David’s older brother allowed him to face the Philistine giant – one on one – would you be angry with them?

If David’s parents knew what David was planning, they would be overwhelmed. At some points in our lives every parent can feel overwhelmed. We can evaluate the culture in which we are raising our kids, we can appraise our circumstances and conclude there is no way out and we are going under. And yet, if we look back we can remember times when we overcame similar obstacles.

1 Samuel 17:32-37 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” 33 But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.” 34 David answered Saul: “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”

When David was about to fight Goliath, he remembered how God had given him the strength he needed before, and trusted him in his current time of need. All of us face our own Goliaths; they just look different. One practical thing we can do is make a list of times in our past when God stepped in and came to our rescue—things we were afraid of that God helped us face. Making such a list is a wonderful reminder to us of God’s faithfulness. Then when we are tempted to worry or become fearful, we can find hope by reading our personal record of what God has done.

• How could memorizing 1 Samuel 17:37 help you in your parenting fears?
• What is the most difficult thing about parenting for you?
• Think about a time when God rescued you and helped you do something you couldn’t accomplish on your own.
• What would it look like to have succeeded in parenting?
• Will protecting your kids from all dangers guarantee that you will be a successful parent?

On Fridays, for the rest of the summer, we will address how we parents can lesson our anxieties and learn to trust God with our kids.
Be not afraid!