“You have a lump on your neck that needs to be checked out immediately,” the doctor said as he discussed with me the results of the thyroid ultrasound he had just performed. 

As you can imagine, his words caused my heart rate to take off at galloping speed, and my mind conjured up the worst possible outcomes. Fear threatened to take over my thoughts, and if I weren’t careful, it would control me. 

Life is full of such moments, isn’t it? We feel like we’re cruising along, and all is well, and then bam! Something knocks us off balance, and we come crashing to the ground. 

As I faced an uncertain future, what kept me from falling into despair was God’s promise to always be with us no matter the circumstance. I knew that if even the worst-case scenario came true and the lump was cancerous, God would be by my side and walk with me every step of the way. This realization kept fear at bay and, yes, even gave me peace.  

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 41:10, where God tells the Israelites not to be afraid because He is with them and will strengthen and uphold them. God repeats the same promise in multiple verses throughout the Old and New Testaments. He understands that fear is our natural reaction to danger or the unknown and wants to remind us that He is by our side.  

Just think about it—if we truly grasped the truth that the Creator of the universe is with us and will help us face whatever comes our way, then we would always overcome fear. God knows our weaknesses. He understands how anxiety can so easily defeat us because the world is a frightening place. And so, He continually reminds us of His presence. 

It turned out that my lump was nothing more than a cyst, which I had removed several months later. I’m grateful that it wasn’t anything more serious, but I’m even more thankful for God’s presence in my life. With Him, I have nothing to fear.