Afraid No More
When I was a child, I was always afraid. I was the textbook definition of the descriptive phrase “scaredy cat.”
I was afraid of spiders, mean people, and the neighbor’s dog. I was afraid of walking alone, the mice in our barn, and of my sister’s horse. I was terrified of spending the night at a friend’s house, riding my bike on a friendly country road, and of what not eating vegetables might do to me.
Psychology defines fear in this way: "Distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil or pain – whether the threat is real or imagined."
The Bible declares "Do not fear" no less than 365 times, which is once for every day of the year. Every person in the Bible who did something significant for the Kingdom of God heard these exact words, "Do not fear".
The Lord spoke that triumvirate of words, “Do not fear” to Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and many others. If you are afraid today, apparently you are in good company with the giants of our faith.
When an event springs up in one’s life that instigates dry-mouthed fear, one might suppose that courage is the only choice in response to such an intimidating event, however, I have found a variety of options that belong to the “courageous” family.
“When I am afraid, I will trust in You, Oh God.” – Psalm 56:3
When you are afraid, your first response must be trust. You can trust your heavenly Father knowing that He is always good and that He is in control.
"… Perfect love casts out all fear.” – I John 4:18
One might assume that courage is the opposite of fear, but I have long believed that love has the power to squelch fear. If you are dealing with fear today, resolve to love the Lord with your whole heart. Choose to love the life you have been given. And then find someone who needs a bit of loving care. When love is the foremost choice in your heart, there will be no room for fear.
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom should I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom should I dread?” – Psalm 27:1
When the Psalmist was dealing with incredible fear, he broke out into a song of praise. If you are afraid today, just start to sing out loud. Sing of the goodness of God and of His faithfulness! Sing hymns of faith and songs of joy! Fear cowers in dread of a man or a woman who is brave enough to out-sing the lies of fear.
So what is courage? Courage is trust, it is love and it is worship. The next time you feel the snowflakes of fear gathering in your heart, before it becomes a full-fledged blizzard, choose to trust the Lord without reserve, decide to love with your whole heart and break out into a song of praise.
Questions for Reflection:
1. What are your fears in life? Are they real or imagined?
2. Who can you show extravagant love to today?
3. What is your favorite worship song?
