It seems as we don this season’s fashions, a new trend is afoot. It has gained wide popularity not just among the trendsetters, but nearly everyone these days is seen sporting “an abundance of caution.”

At first glance this seems wise and even prudent, but is caution just another name for worry or fear? Did David use an abundance of caution when he set out to meet Goliath? Did Mary weigh the pros and cons before she broke open her alabaster jar anointing Jesus before he entered Jerusalem?

In Matthew 6 Jesus tells us not worry about our lives – for who by worrying who can add a day or even an hour to their life? Are we allowing the worries of this life choke out the life God has poured into us? In my own paraphrase, I urge you not to let what could happen keep you from carrying out the daily assignments or divine appointments God has for you. Don’t let caution be an excuse for disengagement – for discontinuing the activities you enjoy or for not maintaining connection with people significant to you.

I wonder if believers in Nigeria remain in their homes as they consult growing trends and statistics of the numbers of believers captured and executed or churches burned. Do believers in China exhibit an abundance of caution as they decide whether to meet secretly with others, or do they wholeheartedly entrust themselves to God who knows exactly how many days He has given each of us? Are we being wise stewards of the time he has given if bury this time in fear of what could happen? Nothing that happens is a surprise to God. Nothing is outside of his protective power.

The psalmist in Psalm 91 recognized this declaring, “The Lord is alone is my refuge and place of safety, He is my God and I trust Him. He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease… His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness nor the disaster that strikes at midday, He delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence… If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you. “

Instead of shrouding ourselves beneath an abundance of caution, we can boldly wear our shields of faith and cover our minds with our helmets of salvation. While these do not make us impervious to the evil and harm surrounding us, we are reminded not to fear that which can destroy the body but to take care to guard against that which can destroy our soul. Our Lord reminds us in John 16:33 that although this world is filled with tribulation, we take courage because He has overcome this world.