THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
Shadows on the Wall.
By Bobby Davis January 31st, 2026
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
As far back as I can remember, I was afraid. Something was always lurking in a dark corner; even the rustle of the leaves outside my window at night could give me goosebumps. As a child, I usually couldn't tell you what I was afraid of.
But as I look back as an adult, one fear in particular stands out during my childhood years. My mother would occasionally run out of something and ask me to go over the bridge to the little store. I’d been there dozens of times, and I’d watched as the clerk wrote down our groceries on a little pad, tearing out the carbon copy and handing it to my mother. Although I didn’t ever see him do it, I also knew that my dad settled the account each month. But no matter how many times I’d been there with my parents, when I had to go there by myself I would panic! I just knew I would get up to the counter someday and be asked for cash! I couldn’t imagine how embarrassed I’d be, coming home empty-handed. So I’d cry and come up with a million excuses—everything but the truth—to get my mom to go with me. It was exhausting for both of us.
Many years later, after life had seemingly dealt me some cruel blows, I turned to God in desperation, willing to do anything to be free of my fears. By now they had multiplied into hundreds, but the one that drove them all was self-centered fear. What you thought of me mattered more than life itself; and while I hoped against hope that you’d like me, I was terrified to let you get too close.
I finally realized that fear had run—and ruined—my life. But God had a simple solution. First, I had to identify and list my fears, asking myself why I had them. It became painfully obvious that I’d been playing God all along, and that my problems had always been caused by my self-reliance! I’d never just been a man among men or a worker among workers. I’d always insisted on running the show, instead; and when others didn’t cooperate, I was bitter.
My self-reliance had placed me in a position to fail, and my desire to dominate every situation had led some to fight back and others to walk away in disgust, leaving me alone—hurt and resentful.
Now, an answer to my problems had appeared. But like Naaman the leper, I was angered by the overly simple answer. Naaman refused to follow the prophet Elisha’s instructions to dip seven times in the Jordan River. He wouldn’t lower himself to bathe in that filthy river! So it’s a good thing his men convinced him to do it, or he would have met a terrible death.
Like Naaman, my instructions seemed too simple, as well. I was to put God in charge of my life and pray: “Lord, please remove my fears, and direct my attention to what You would have me be.”
Really? That’s just too simple! I thought. But it worked.
Fears are like the shadows on the wall. Light a candle in a dark room, hold up your hand between the flame and the wall, and you’ll see the shadow. Bring the light source closer to your hand, and the shadow on the wall will increase!
Did your hand get any bigger? Of course not. And neither do our problems grow bigger when we approach them with the Light.
Facing my problems seems more difficult than ignoring them. But when I shine the light of God’s promises on them, those fear-shadows turn out to be just … shadows.
“It is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God” (Psalm 73:28).
Shadows on the Wall.
By Bobby Davis January 31st, 2026
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
As far back as I can remember, I was afraid. Something was always lurking in a dark corner; even the rustle of the leaves outside my window at night could give me goosebumps. As a child, I usually couldn't tell you what I was afraid of.
But as I look back as an adult, one fear in particular stands out during my childhood years. My mother would occasionally run out of something and ask me to go over the bridge to the little store. I’d been there dozens of times, and I’d watched as the clerk wrote down our groceries on a little pad, tearing out the carbon copy and handing it to my mother. Although I didn’t ever see him do it, I also knew that my dad settled the account each month. But no matter how many times I’d been there with my parents, when I had to go there by myself I would panic! I just knew I would get up to the counter someday and be asked for cash! I couldn’t imagine how embarrassed I’d be, coming home empty-handed. So I’d cry and come up with a million excuses—everything but the truth—to get my mom to go with me. It was exhausting for both of us.
Many years later, after life had seemingly dealt me some cruel blows, I turned to God in desperation, willing to do anything to be free of my fears. By now they had multiplied into hundreds, but the one that drove them all was self-centered fear. What you thought of me mattered more than life itself; and while I hoped against hope that you’d like me, I was terrified to let you get too close.
I finally realized that fear had run—and ruined—my life. But God had a simple solution. First, I had to identify and list my fears, asking myself why I had them. It became painfully obvious that I’d been playing God all along, and that my problems had always been caused by my self-reliance! I’d never just been a man among men or a worker among workers. I’d always insisted on running the show, instead; and when others didn’t cooperate, I was bitter.
My self-reliance had placed me in a position to fail, and my desire to dominate every situation had led some to fight back and others to walk away in disgust, leaving me alone—hurt and resentful.
Now, an answer to my problems had appeared. But like Naaman the leper, I was angered by the overly simple answer. Naaman refused to follow the prophet Elisha’s instructions to dip seven times in the Jordan River. He wouldn’t lower himself to bathe in that filthy river! So it’s a good thing his men convinced him to do it, or he would have met a terrible death.
Like Naaman, my instructions seemed too simple, as well. I was to put God in charge of my life and pray: “Lord, please remove my fears, and direct my attention to what You would have me be.”
Really? That’s just too simple! I thought. But it worked.
Fears are like the shadows on the wall. Light a candle in a dark room, hold up your hand between the flame and the wall, and you’ll see the shadow. Bring the light source closer to your hand, and the shadow on the wall will increase!
Did your hand get any bigger? Of course not. And neither do our problems grow bigger when we approach them with the Light.
Facing my problems seems more difficult than ignoring them. But when I shine the light of God’s promises on them, those fear-shadows turn out to be just … shadows.
“It is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God” (Psalm 73:28).
THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
Shadows on the Wall.
By Bobby Davis January 31st, 2026
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
As far back as I can remember, I was afraid. Something was always lurking in a dark corner; even the rustle of the leaves outside my window at night could give me goosebumps. As a child, I usually couldn't tell you what I was afraid of.
But as I look back as an adult, one fear in particular stands out during my childhood years. My mother would occasionally run out of something and ask me to go over the bridge to the little store. I’d been there dozens of times, and I’d watched as the clerk wrote down our groceries on a little pad, tearing out the carbon copy and handing it to my mother. Although I didn’t ever see him do it, I also knew that my dad settled the account each month. But no matter how many times I’d been there with my parents, when I had to go there by myself I would panic! I just knew I would get up to the counter someday and be asked for cash! I couldn’t imagine how embarrassed I’d be, coming home empty-handed. So I’d cry and come up with a million excuses—everything but the truth—to get my mom to go with me. It was exhausting for both of us.
Many years later, after life had seemingly dealt me some cruel blows, I turned to God in desperation, willing to do anything to be free of my fears. By now they had multiplied into hundreds, but the one that drove them all was self-centered fear. What you thought of me mattered more than life itself; and while I hoped against hope that you’d like me, I was terrified to let you get too close.
I finally realized that fear had run—and ruined—my life. But God had a simple solution. First, I had to identify and list my fears, asking myself why I had them. It became painfully obvious that I’d been playing God all along, and that my problems had always been caused by my self-reliance! I’d never just been a man among men or a worker among workers. I’d always insisted on running the show, instead; and when others didn’t cooperate, I was bitter.
My self-reliance had placed me in a position to fail, and my desire to dominate every situation had led some to fight back and others to walk away in disgust, leaving me alone—hurt and resentful.
Now, an answer to my problems had appeared. But like Naaman the leper, I was angered by the overly simple answer. Naaman refused to follow the prophet Elisha’s instructions to dip seven times in the Jordan River. He wouldn’t lower himself to bathe in that filthy river! So it’s a good thing his men convinced him to do it, or he would have met a terrible death.
Like Naaman, my instructions seemed too simple, as well. I was to put God in charge of my life and pray: “Lord, please remove my fears, and direct my attention to what You would have me be.”
Really? That’s just too simple! I thought. But it worked.
Fears are like the shadows on the wall. Light a candle in a dark room, hold up your hand between the flame and the wall, and you’ll see the shadow. Bring the light source closer to your hand, and the shadow on the wall will increase!
Did your hand get any bigger? Of course not. And neither do our problems grow bigger when we approach them with the Light.
Facing my problems seems more difficult than ignoring them. But when I shine the light of God’s promises on them, those fear-shadows turn out to be just … shadows.
“It is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God” (Psalm 73:28).
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