Deer...and faith over fear

         We have some another set of twins in our backyard this summer--

         Oh my, how I love to watch deer!  They are so incredibly graceful and delicate..yet remarkably powerful.  They easily leap over bushes and fences as if they were stepping over a crack in the sidewalk!  Truly amazing and beautiful, so we've really enjoyed watching these twins grow up in our backyard.
         They typically disappear in the heavy brush and thick trees in the back of our yard for most of the day, but every now and then we'll see them come out and feast on our assorted collection of grass and weeds.  Help yourselves fellows!  How about going to work on some of that ivy?
         Late at night and very early in the morning (while it's still dark), we've often found them lying down together and sleeping in the middle of the yard.  I don't what that's all about, but it's fun to see them. Well, let me rephrase that.  It was fun to see them...until Mr. Bingley finally figured out that they were not some fearful foe but instead might make fun playmates.
        Here's what happened the other morning (sorry for the quality of the pictures but it was pitch dark, and I'm a crummy photographer).  Bingley crept down the stairs while the deer just stared at him.  Here they are looking at this strange big, black apparition--

          Bingley stood motionless on the little patio at the edge of the yard, staring and staring for a good minute or two--

         Until--pow--he exploded after them.  For some unimaginable reason, our little deer buddies did not take this as a friendly gesture and took off into our backyard woods.  We haven't seen much of them since, but I guess they figured that discretion is the better part of valor.
         As I thought about the deer, however, I was reminded of one of my favorite passages in Scripture from the prophet Isaiah:
         "Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, 'Be strong; fear not!  Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God.  He will come and save you.'  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.  For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert." (Isaiah 35:3-6)
          What a beautiful picture of a lame man leaping powerfully and gracefully like a deer.  And what wonderful words about the coming of our Almighty God!  (Indeed, the whole chapter is spectacular!)  Here in the midst of the dog days (excuse the pun, Bingley) of summer and with all that's going on in our nation and our world, who doesn't need to be reminded to strengthen their weak hands and firm up their feeble knees?  And I'm betting I'm not alone in requiring the constant admonition and encouragement to my anxious heart to "Be strong; fear not!"
           So what's the antidote to fear?  Faith!  "Do not fear, only believe," Jesus tells us in Mark 5:36.  We've got the choice: focus on our fears or fix our gaze on Jesus in faith.  Keep rehearsing all our fears or keep reminding ourselves of our awesome, glorious Savior who is full of grace and mercy.  Keep rehashing our worries or keep returning to faith in our forever faithful Lord.
           And oh, by the way: how do we increase our faith?  It's not by will power or wish power or work power.  Nope, it's so simple yet so utterly life-changing and fear-demolishing: delve into God's Word.  Abide in God's Word.  Meditate on God's Word.  Speak out loud God's Word.  "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Rom.10:17)
           Man oh man, I am such a slow learner and such a gigantic forgetter.  How quickly I fall into fretting and fussing and worrying over, well, you name it (though most often it focuses upon our children.  We parents can be anxiety machines when it comes to our kids.)  But the answer is always to choose to look at our circumstances through the lens of faith.  We don't judge our God by the size of our circumstances. No sir.  We judge our circumstances by the infinitely gigantic size of our great God!  And we do that by getting in His Word and seeing who He is...and what He's done...and all He's promised...and all He is and will be doing now and in the future.
          The more we gaze at God in His Word, the more our faith will grow.  And the more our faith grows, the smaller our fears will become.
         Faith drives out fear.  Faith multiplies our strength.  And faith fuels joy...joy like the lame leaping like a deer or the mute singing and rejoicing.
         Thank You, Father, for faith.  Thank You that faith in You will always overcome our fears. Thank You for deer and the astounding beauty of Your creation.  And thank You for the priceless gift of Jesus in whom is our faith, our hope, our strength, and our joy.  
         To God be the glory.