Barking Up the Wrong Fence
Hebrews 13:6 — We can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
As the sun begins to rise, I lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement.
My morning route takes me past a used-car lot. At that hour, everything is still quiet. Rows of sedans and SUVs sit behind a chain-link fence, waiting for someone to drive them home.
But I hardly ever notice the cars.
You know what I notice?
The security system.
A hundred-pound Rottweiler.
And let me tell you, that dog takes his job seriously.
Every morning, like clockwork, the second he spots me, here he comes.
Charging across the lot.
Teeth showing.
Growling like I’ve personally offended him.
And even though I’ve run past that lot more times than I can count, I still get that little jolt of fear when he comes barreling toward me.
I mean, he’s a hundred-pound Rottweiler!
But lately, something has started to change.
Not the dog.
He’s still just as loud, just as intimidating, and apparently just as convinced that I’m a threat to the entire car dealership.
What’s changed is where I’m looking.
Instead of focusing on those teeth and that enormous dog charging toward me, I’ve started paying attention to something else.
The fence.
That chain-link fence standing between us.
Now, I still give that dog plenty of space. But when he starts barking, I remind myself that there’s a barrier between us.
And I keep running.
The funny thing is, the dog hasn’t changed.
The fence hasn’t changed.
What’s changed is what I’m choosing to focus on.
And I wonder how often we need that same reminder in our walk with God.
Because life has a way of sending things charging toward us, doesn’t it?
Fear.
Uncertainty.
Disappointment.
A difficult conversation.
A situation we never saw coming.
And sometimes those things feel enormous.
They’re loud. They’re intimidating. And they have a way of making us want to stop right where we are.
But listen to what Hebrews 13:6 says.
“The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear.”
And do you know what God promises in the verse just before that?
“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
I love that.
Our confidence doesn’t come from knowing that nothing frightening will ever happen.
It comes from knowing that whatever happens, God will not abandon us.
Now, God isn’t a chain-link fence.
And following Jesus doesn’t mean we’ll never get hurt, experience disappointment, or walk through something difficult.
But just as that fence reminds me there’s something I haven’t been paying attention to, God’s promises remind me there’s Someone I can always depend on.
Someone greater than the things that frighten me.
Someone who sees what I cannot see.
Someone who has promised to stay with me.
And maybe that’s what you need to remember today.
Maybe something in your life feels like it’s charging straight toward you.
Maybe you’ve been so focused on the size of the problem that you’ve forgotten the faithfulness of the God who walks beside you.
Friend, look again.
Not because the problem isn’t real.
Not because you have nothing to be concerned about.
But because the thing you’re facing isn’t the only thing that’s true.
God is with you.
He is your helper.
And He has promised never to leave you.
So tomorrow morning, when I lace up my running shoes and head past that car lot, I have a feeling that Rottweiler will be waiting.
He’ll probably bark.
He’ll probably charge.
And I’ll probably still jump a little.
But I’m going to keep running.
Because I’ve learned to remember something bigger than the thing that’s scaring me.
And whatever you’re facing today, I hope you’ll remember it, too.
Don’t let fear make you forget Who is with you.
Take courage.
Trust your Helper.
And keep running the race God has placed before you.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- What’s the biggest source of fear or uncertainty in your life right now? How much of your attention has it been consuming?
- Have you ever experienced a situation that didn’t change, but your perspective changed when you remembered God’s faithfulness?
- How does God’s promise, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you,” affect the way you face difficult circumstances?
- Are you allowing fear to keep you from taking a step you believe God is asking you to take?
- What’s one practical way you can shift your focus from the size of your problem to the faithfulness of God today?
QUESTION TO CARRY WITH YOU TODAY
Am I spending more time staring at what frightens me than remembering the God who promises never to leave me?
