“I sought the LORD and He answered me, and rescued me from all my fears … This wretched man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him.”—Psalm 34:4–7 NASB

The Portuguese felt it was critical to find a water route to Asia. The problem was getting past Cape Bojador. Located on the western coast of Africa, the cape’s Arabic name means Father of Danger. Geographers labeled the waters beyond the cape as the Great Sea of Darkness.

The cliffs along its coast were said to contain a powerful lodestone that pulled out a ship’s metal rivets, sinking the vessel. There were stories that ships sailing by the cliffs would be struck with sheets of fire. It also was believed that water beyond the cape was boiling, and ships would be burned by the heat of the sun and water.

But Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigator would not accept excuses. He commissioned a series of voyages to round Cape Bojador. The first fourteen voyages failed. Henry made a radical decision, picking a man with no sailing experience to lead the fifteenth voyage. The man was Gil Eanes, a trusted aide.

Eanes’s first voyage failed. Henry ordered him to try again and do whatever was necessary. As they approached the cape, Eanes had to convince the crew to sail on. As they persevered, they discovered that the rumors were not true. The waters were calm.

Fear can have a crippling impact on our lives. But David discovered that God could deliver him from fear and save him “out of all his troubles.”

God can deliver you from every fear. In every situation, turn to Him, and trust Him.

Reflection Question: Are you facing a situation with fear currently?

“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”—Romans 8:28 NLT

Life is filled with ups and downs. Joys and sorrows. Victories and defeats. Struggles and delays. No matter what we do, we will experience sunshine and storms. We know this because “he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:45). And there is a time for everything, including birth and death (Ecclesiastes 3:2).

We want only good things to happen, but God sees purpose and design in everything. The Bible tells us, “I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals beneath the forge and makes the weapons of destruction. And I have created the armies that destroy” (Isaiah 54:16).

We may have a distinctly human perspective, but God sees everything from the perspective of eternity. And the Bible tells us that for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes, He “causes everything to work together for good.” We may see the short term and temporary. He sees the eternal.

These principles are easy to quote but can be hard to live. We need to be thankful and trusting as we enter every situation. We need to be expectant and positive, not negative or doubting, but filled with faith, not worried but confident.

We can have this confidence if we love God, know He has a call on our lives, and know we are “called according to His purpose.”

Reflection Question: Are you going through hard or puzzling circumstances right now?