How to Overcome Fear

Learning to See Reality Through Psalm 3

Read time: 6 minutes

A Dream

The night after I memorized Psalm 3, I had an unusually clear dream.

I was traveling with a team—Deanna was there, Anni, Tim Kubacki, and other close friends. The kind of people you’re glad to be lost with. We were moving through a massive international airport in a foreign country. Not just big—spectacular. Cavernous. Alive. The kind of place that makes you forget where you were headed because the journey itself feels like the destination.

We were distracted by everything: the architecture, the hum of languages, the smooth choreography of airport staff guiding us along. Even the internal transportation was extraordinary. Some of it ran on waterways inside the terminal, and we were ferried along on multi-person jet skis—passengers riding with expert drivers. It was thrilling, slightly surreal, and completely absorbing.

We were each responsible for our own carry-ons and passports. At some point, I realized the staff had moved our bags to another cart. That’s when it hit me: my passport was in my carry-on—and I didn’t know where it was.

I went into recovery mode. With effort—and urgency—I tracked down my bag. Relief surged… until I opened it. The passport was gone.

The staff reassured me. “Not a problem,” they said. I rejoined the group, trying to believe them, letting myself be swept back into the moment.

Then the situation escalated. As we waited to board, our carry-ons were lost. Or misplaced. Or swallowed by the system.

This time, the fear landed hard.

My laptop was in that bag. My Mailchimp—this email—was due the next day and unfinished. Everything was on that computer: words, photos, notes, work, calling—identity, if I’m honest. And now I had no passport in a foreign country.

I could feel myself spiraling.

One of the airport guides noticed. She caught my eye—steady, calm, unhurried. Long hair. A narrow, pointed nose. I remember thinking how unusual she looked. Then she said, very clearly:

“In the big picture, you are still extremely blessed.”

The weight of her words felt different.
God is bigger than the things you fear.

And I found myself wondering—half-seriously—Was that woman even human?

Later that morning, in my quiet time, it clicked.
The dream was a lived-out, modern parable of Psalm 3.

Biblical Reflection

God Walks Closely With Ordinary People

We’re tempted to believe fear would loosen its grip if only we were wired differently.

• If I were more decisive…

• If I were less intense…

• If I were more disciplined, more spiritual, more confident…

Fill in the blank.

One reason the Bible is so long is that God keeps telling the story from every angle—so we can’t miss the point.

Jesus said Abel—the secondborn—was the first prophet. God chose Isaac over Ishmael. Jacob over Esau. Joseph, and later Judah, over Reuben. Moses stuttered. Gideon hid. David was forgotten in the fields while his brothers stood in line.

Even David himself later confessed that sin marked him from the very beginning of his life—not as an excuse, but as a reason for radical dependence.

Paul named the pattern: God chooses the foolish, the weak, the lowly, the despised—so no one gets to boast.

This isn’t favoritism toward underdogs. It’s the dismantling of human hierarchies. A complete reordering of power.

The kingdom doesn’t run on credentials, charisma, or control.
It runs on dependence.

And when you lead—or live—from that posture, something shifts.

You stop building around yourself.
You stop calculating outcomes.
You start obeying God—come what may.

Psalm 3 — Help!

Psalm 3 isn’t theoretical. It was written while David was running for his life, with thousands actively trying to kill him. This was not imagined anxiety; it was rational fear.

And yet David moves through fear toward God.

He believes his words can summon a real response from heaven:
“I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me.”

That still stops me.

Years ago, while working near the Arctic Circle at Eagle Plains, I heard a cassette-tape sermon. The speaker told of a woman in England during WWII who couldn’t sleep—until she began meditating on Psalm 3. Then she slept peacefully, night after night, even though bombs sometimes fell in the city around her.

Forty years later, I still remember that testimony.

Psalm 3 teaches us this:
Fear doesn’t disappear when circumstances improve.
Fear loosens its grip when reality comes back into focus.

“But You, O Lord, are a shield around me.”

A Suggested Meditation

• What is your fiercest fear right now?
• What would most easily send you into panic?
• Consider memorizing Psalm 3—not as a slogan, but as a truth to return to, something to chew on when your mind starts spinning.

Deanna’s Journey to Healing

This week we were deeply grateful to celebrate another one of Deanna’s birthdays—and we’re planning many more.

Deanna has now completed 6 of 15 radiation treatments. The care team continues to be excellent, aligning the lasers with remarkable precision—guided by the three tiny tattoos that mark the way.

Thank you for walking with us.

A Word About Our Next Steps

Several friends have asked us lately, “So—what’s next for you?”
We’re grateful for the care behind that question.

The short answer is this: we’re still following the same calling, “helping develop communities—through church planting—where people encounter the protection, presence, and faithfulness of God,” just in a new season and with new rhythms.

Over the past few years, God has been quietly preparing us—through study, suffering, and grace—for a season marked by greater flexibility, deeper mentoring, and wider reach. Some of our work will be face-to-face, some remote, and much of it rooted in long-standing relationships in Brazil and beyond.

Why does this matter?

Because many people still live without knowing that God can be trusted—that fear doesn’t get the final word, and that the Lord Himself is a shield.

Your prayers, encouragement, and faithful partnership make it possible for us to stay present in these places and relationships, creating space for others to discover the safety and hope found in God.

As always, we’re listening closely, moving prayerfully, and trusting Him to guide each step.

Prayer Requests

• For Deanna’s complete recovery

• For the sale of the mission property in Marabá

• For clarity as we step into 2026, beginning with the Global Missions Conference in Texas

To Partner With Us