“The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” screamed Chicken Little.
The occasion of this frantic pronouncement involved an acorn falling on the bare head of the aforementioned hen. And if we watch any of the mainstream media, we might certainly think the sky is indeed falling.
Asteroids are my personal favorite. Hardly a day goes by in my news feed without a screaming headline proclaiming that some chunk of space rock is hurtling toward earth. “Toward” is the operative word in the vast majority of these cases. Asteroids fly past us all the time. Only on the rarest of occasions does one of the random space rocks actually interact with our planet.
Yellowstone is another favorite. The supervolcano that lurks underneath the national park perpetually seems on the verge of erupting and destroying us all. If it’s not Yellowstone, then on any given slow news day, we might read “The Poles Are Thawing!” or “The Glaciers Are Shrinking,” or even “The Sea Levels Are Climbing!”
Lately, some headline-worthy events have reached out and touched us. Solar storms have pummeled earth, but, except for the odd lost satellite or two and some spectacular northern lights, they have been much ado about nothing . . . so far. And then, practically everyone on the planet knew someone whom the COVID pandemic stole from them.
The frequency of earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone rose three hundred percent above average during the summer of 2022. Since the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–1812 are the biggest in American history, and, since we happen to live in the New Madrid Seismic Zone here in Middle Tennessee, that got my attention. The New Madrid Missouri Earthquake of 1811 was so mighty it caused the Mississippi River to run backward.
And yet, in the face of all these “the sky is falling” exhortations, Jesus tells us simply, “Do not be afraid.” In fact, the Bible repeats that simple thought over and over in thirty verses! Do not fear, do not be discouraged, do not worry, and simply trust in the Lord are repeated themes.
We can be sure we will continue to hear the sky is falling with increasing frequency, but we have the umbrella of our Lord’s promise repeatedly, stating that we should be at peace and not fear. Stand under His protection when the Chicken Little’s in your life start to squawk.
What fear do you harbor that you need to give to God?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Kevin Spencer is a freelance writer and professional editor and is privileged to be a staff writer for Christian Devotions. He lives in Middle Tennessee with his beautiful wife Charlotte and his 14-year-old wonderful grandson Caleb. A former prodigal son, Kevin has been blessed beyond measure and lives a life far, far better than he deserves.