Fear not, neither be dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee wherever thou goest. This plague of a frightened spirit is not sent as a judgment but as a trial of faith, and He who permits it has also provided the cure. The command "Fear not" is unqualified and absolute, it is not a suggestion for the strong, but a precept for the worm Jacob, for the weakest and most trembling. Cease, then, to look at the raging of the wicked or the weakness of thine own arm. The arm that piled the heavens and sustains the pillars of the earth grows not weary; it can reach into the thickest fray where a family member and neighbors are embroiled, and bring order out of the chaos. He that plucked thee as a brand from the burning can most certainly pluck this tangled matter from the fire, and none shall stay His hand.
Lay the whole bad business before the throne of grace, and leave it there. Not with murmuring, but with patient, expectant faith. Remember, the Lord seeth not as man seeth; He views the secret workings of hearts and knows what snares have been laid. When Isaac was beset by the Philistines and they fought for his wells, he gave way to avoid strife, yet God met him and said, "Fear not." Your meek submission to the turmoil and your refusal to return evil for evil do not escape His notice. He will speak peace, and the hearts of thy neighbors, now perhaps set against thee, are not beyond the sudden reproof of the Most High. He can make the very stone that they meant for a stumbling-block to become a seat of rest for thy soul.
Yet, examine thyself. Is there any transgression unconfessed that might give the adversary an advantage? Run to the Cross; look into that wounded side where mercy flows. There, where Divine vengeance for sin was satisfied, all anxious fear should expire. If thou art washed in that blood, then God is for thee, and who shall be against thee? Gird up thy loins: thou art God's witness in this very trial. The way a child of God behaves under unjust pressure preaches more loudly than all the words of the preacher. Let thy calm trust rebuke their strife, and let prayer for them rise even as the storm blows. Only hold not back thy witness for fear of man. The lips that have been warmed by a coal from off the heavenly altar must speak and live like heaven-touched lips.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise. He will certainly arise for thy help. You shall yet declare His wondrous works from this dark passage, and tell how the Maker of jewels polished a rough stone upon the grinding-wheel of this affliction. Fear not, I say again, fear not. Why shouldst thou? He that liveth and was dead, and is alive forevermore, holds the keys. Trust in Him, though the fig tree does not blossom and the fields yield no fruit. He is thy God, and His intervention shall arrive at the set time.