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Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.
Psalm 89:14-15 NIV

Have you ever been fearful of what lay before you?

As widows our lives can feel like they are turned upside down, and fear can become our constant companion. How can we possibly move forward when we are filled with so much fear?

Years ago, my husband and I were given the opportunity to travel to China. We were excited to find out that our hosts had scheduled a private tour for us to visit the Great Wall. Much to our surprise, a private tour turned out to mean our guide would take us to a non-tourist spot to some stairs that were seldom used. It also turned out there was a good reason that tourists didn’t use these stairs.

As I reached up above my head and used my arms to pull myself up to the next step, I realized our experience was going to be more of a rock-climbing type experience than a simple hike up a flight of stairs, and the worst part was we were doing it without the safety gear! Eventually we successfully navigated to the top and were rewarded with a stunning panoramic view. After resting for a little while and taking in the view, it was time to begin our descent down a different, somewhat easier, set of steps. I went to the first step and was suddenly struck with a debilitating fear unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

Because of the steepness of the mountain, when I looked ahead to where my path should be, there was a sense of absolute nothing below or ahead of me.

My body responded with a violent reaction where my knees suddenly felt like they had disintegrated into jelly. I was paralyzed. My husband could see that something was seriously wrong. He stepped in front of me with concern etched all over his face. As I looked at him and only him, the fear slowly subsided. Unfortunately, we had no choice but to descend. We finally decided to try to descend with him in front of me, my hand on his shoulder, staring at his back. As long as I kept my eyes focused on him, I could move forward.

How I was able to overcome that fear – by focusing on him -has been a powerful lesson for me.

Except the “him” is no longer my husband, the “Him” is my Lord and Savior. There have been many times as a widow when I can’t see the path before me. I just see emptiness or uncertainty ahead. Often my first instinct is to become fearful, thinking through all the “what if’s” that could be ahead. God’s word is what sustains me and strengthens me. His word reminds me who I am and that I am precious to Him. It also reminds me because of His Son, I walk on a strong foundation of righteousness and justice. A strong foundation – one not rocked or destroyed by widowhood. Wherever I go, He goes before me in love and faithfulness. I am not alone. I just need to keep my eyes on Him. But it can be so hard to stay focused!

As a child of God, I have the blessing of the Holy Spirit living in me. The Holy Spirit is my helper, guiding me to keep my eyes focused on my Lord. I don’t always listen and I make mistakes often, but He always brings me back to the path He has prepared for me.

Because He goes before me, I can once again walk forward with no fear. Step by step, I walk in the light of His presence.

Dearly Heavenly Father,

We are so grateful for Your love and faithfulness! Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us along the path You have prepared for us, in advance. Thank You for Your Word to strengthen and sustain us, so that we can move forward with no fear. Help us to be faithful in acclaiming Your love and faithfulness so that others may come to know You!

In Your Son’s Holy and Precious Name. Amen.