Coming near

Lamentations 3:57-58 You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.”  You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.

I am always comforted and encouraged when I read verses like these and have occasion to think back over the many times in my life when I called on the Lord and He answered by coming near and reminding me that I had no need to fear.  Thinking of this reminds me of the time when I was about seven years old, living on Crown Avenue in Ravenna.  I was sick with strip throat and feverish.  I had a terrible nightmare (I still remember it vividly over 60 years later) and woke up screaming.  I remember Daddy running into the bedroom and comforting me.  I think of that when I read these verses because it is such a beautiful example of what God does for me when I am afraid or disturbed.  He comes near and tells me quietly not to be afraid.  That calms my spirit.