5 Fear-Fighting Truths

Scriptures: Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 41:13, Isaiah 43:1-2

God Will Help You with Your Fear 

Do you have faith and yet experience fear? For so long I didn’t understand why God tells us, “Do not be afraid” and yet gives us bodies that are physically wired to experience fear. 

Our nervous system triggers our flight-or-fight response. It’s automatic and always involves fear. This protects us and helps us survive. If a bear comes charging through the door, we need to feel fear. So if we’re “wonderfully made” like the psalmist says, then how do we reconcile what God seems to tell us to do with how he’s created us to feel? 

As someone who has wrestled with fear for most of my life, I’ve asked that question often. And as I looked closer at what God says, I finally found my answer. Verses that say, “Do not be afraid” are almost always spoken to or for someone who is alreadyafraid. 

Israelite armies about to go into battle. 

Mary being startled by an unexpected angel. 

The apostle Paul facing a serious storm. 

In other words, when God says, “Do not be afraid,” it is most often offered as a reassurance, not issued as a command. He’s not saying, “Don’t ever feel fear.” He’s saying, “Here’s why you don’t have to stay afraid.” 

Do not fear, for I am with you. (Isaiah 41:10) 

Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13) 

Do not fear . . . I have called you by your name; you are Mine. (Isaiah 43:1) 

It’s the kind of language a loving parent would use to comfort a child who’s afraid of the dark. A compassionate mom or dad knows their little one is going to be okay, but they give words that soothe hearts and calm minds anyway. And most beautiful of all, their love defeats the fear. 

If we wait to do God’s will until we don’t ever feel fear, then we will stay stuck. He’s okay with our trembling hands, knocking knees, and pounding hearts. After all, he designed the bodies that experience them—and he spent thirty-three years in one. 

When we struggle with anxiety or fear, the enemy can try to use it as an opportunity to make us feel guilt or shame. That’s when we can pause and ask God for help, knowing he understands and never condemns us. 

God will come alongside us in our uncertain moments and give us the reassurance we need. Then he’ll lead us out of fear and into holy courage.

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34

God Will Carry Your Concerns

The phone call comes with hard news. Someone I love is in a difficult situation. By the time I hang up, I feel a weight on my shoulders, like it all depends on me. 

I begin to worry. This is what I can do, isn’t it? I can carry my worry around like a dog with an old bone. I can gnaw and twist, bury it and dig it up again. Surely this will be helpful, certainly this will save the day. 

But into that place of fear, it seems I hear a gentle whisper in my heart, “Your worry cannot change the world, only God can.” 

Luke 12:25 says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” Who of us by worrying can make the prodigal come home, the marriage be restored, the meeting go well, the pressure come off, the lights come on, the kids stay safe, the wrong be undone, the project turn out right? 

Worry can be seductive because it feels like control. If we are worrying, then we must be helping. But Jesus, in all his gentleness and kindness, his extravagant mercy and care, takes the weight of worry from our hands. 

Isn’t that what we really want? We long to know someone is taking care of the people we love, the situation we don’t understand, whatever makes our pillow soggy with salty tears. God watches over the sparrows with their wispy feathers and fragile bones. He will do even more for us, with our tender hearts and breakable lives. 

After the call I sit on the edge of my bed and listen to a song, headphones in my ears, hands folded on my lap. I whisper, “God, I release this person I love to You.” I add more words, requests, and hopes. I will say this again in the kitchen. In the car. As I sit in a coffee shop. Releasing worry isn’t an instant event, it’s an imperfect process. 

I’m learning what frees our hearts isn’t worry; it’s worship. In other words, taking all the hard things to Someone who cares for us. Choosing to trust and let go. Believing he will mysteriously work it all together for good, that the story isn’t finished yet. 

Here’s what we can rest in today: The only One who has ever been able to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders is still strong and loving enough to carry all that concerns us too.

Scripture: Psalms 32:7-11

God Is Your Hiding Place

I hold a list filled with words written in black ink on cream paper. The page is small but the sentences scrawled on it feel big, more than I can handle. 

I’m part of a group and our assignment for this week is to write down our fears. The facilitator says, “Okay, we’re all going to read our lists out loud.” I panic for a moment. Read them out loud? Where people can hear? For a second I consider running out the door. But then I think, “No, I want to be free.” 

My heart pounds as I begin… 

I’m afraid of not being good enough.
I’m afraid of disappointing God and others.
I’m afraid of rejection, failure, conflict, disapproval, inadequacy. 

What fears would be on your list? 

When we’re afraid, our natural tendency is to hide. We physically or emotionally retreat to where it feels safer. We may hide under the covers in our bedroom, or we might cover our hurt with a smiling face. 

God knows this tendency we have as humans, and he doesn’t tell us never to hide. We aren’t in trouble for this instinct. What God does want to change is where and how we hide. God himself wants to be our “hiding place.” 

“For You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.” Psalm 32:7

I used to think I had to get rid of my fears before I came to God–that he wanted me to be strong all the time. Instead I’m learning God invites us to come to him when we’re afraid. We don’t have to be alone when we’re scared. We have a loving God willing to be our help and hiding place. 

When I looked at my list of fears I wanted to run from them. But instead, perhaps fully for the first time, I realized I can run to God with them. After I got home from my study, I got on my knees and read my list again. 

“I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4 

I will face fears again in this life, and so will you. But that moment felt like a breakthrough. Whatever we’re facing, we can come to God with it. He is our strength and security. He gives us courage and makes us brave. His love and truth are bigger and stronger than anything we fear.

Scriptures: Revelation 22:16, Lamentations 3:22-23

God Is Not Afraid of the Dark 

The rough wooden boardwalk is cool beneath my feet as I make my way to the sand. The sky is still the thick, deep blue of night, and gray shadows sway in the salty wind. I’m not a morning person, but I’m at the beach, and I’m determined to see the sun climb like a rising warrior above the waves at least once. 

As I get closer to the shore, I can see more people who have decided to forsake pillows for flip-flops along with me. They sit on huge pieces of stranded driftwood, stroll along the edge of the water with cameras in hand, or sip from coffee cups with dazed looks on their faces. I notice one woman lifting her eyes to the still-night sky, and I am curious. What does she see? 

When I follow her example, I am greeted by diamonds thrown out on velvet. One star in particular winks brilliantly back at me. I find out later it’s actually the planet Venus, otherwise known as the morning star. Here is its mystery and beauty: Venus is known for rising in the darkest part of the night, just before dawn. Jesus said, “I am the . . . bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). 

This means, among other things, he is not afraid of the deepest dark. He is not frightened by the secret places in our hearts. The ones that haven’t seen daylight for years. The kind with the locks on the doors. The sort we don’t say out loud or even fully admit to ourselves. 

He is not running scared from the tragedies in our lives. He is not backing away from the brokenness, the bitterness, and the shattered dreams. He is not intimidated by the monsters under our beds or inside our minds. He is not avoiding the struggles or the addictions. He is not waving his hands in surrender to the enemies of our souls. He is not saying, “This is too much for me.” 

He is not afraid to step right into the night. Not afraid to even dwell in the middle of it. Because he is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. This means darkness can surround him and he cannot be defeated or diminished by it. 

He came as a baby into a midnight world and announced his arrival with a shining star. He conquered death in a dark tomb and rolled the stone away, making a way into the brightness for all of us. In the thickest gloom, the Morning Star rose. 

“The LORD’S mercies . . . are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22–23). As I watch the sun slip into the morning sky and fill it with gold and flame, I bear witness that these words are true. 

Venus, the morning star that foreshadowed all this light and blazing glory, seems to be more than just a planet; it suddenly also seems to be a promise. A daily reminder from the heart of our Creator that even the deepest night will lead to dawn. Fear and darkness cannot win; the light will never be overcome.

Scripture: Psalms 121

God Is Still In Control 

As I wait for my flight I watch the parade of people. Disgruntled teenagers with caps pulled down over their eyes trailing behind determined parents. Bright-eyed couples holding hands with the honeymoon sun still on their faces. A group of grey-headed ladies in pink matching t-shirts laughing and exchanging stories while they sip coffee. 

I wonder about all of them. Where have they come from? Where are they going? What are their fears?

I realize all over again in that moment God knows the answers. He sees every detail of our lives. He’s been with us in every step we’ve ever taken. This reassures me because no human knows what’s ahead. There are certain to be blessings and moments of happiness. There will also be hard days and tears shed. Some parts of our lives will stay much the same and others, like it or not, will inevitably change. 

We want to know we’re safe. We’re loved. We’re going to be okay. That’s what gives us the courage to pick up our bag and go. 

Psalm 121:8 says, “The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.” This is mysterious to me because difficult things happen, people get sick and life doesn’t always work out the way I planned. But even if I don’t understand them fully, these words offer hope. Because it means whatever may transpire God is still taking caring of me. 

Three hundred and sixty thousand people will arrive on this earth today. Some will depart. The other seven billion of us will go about our business—catching flights, rocking babies, showing up for work, and eating birthday cake. 

And God will watch over it all. Every coming and going. Every beginning and end. Every dream come true and heartbreak. He has done this for all of history. He is doing so today. He will continue to do so every day of your life. 

This is what’s true about your future, no matter what fear tries to tell you:

1) God will be there. 

2) You will be loved. 

3) Nothing will be too much for you and Jesus to overcome together. 

You may not know exactly what’s ahead of you but you can be absolutely certain of Who is with you. You are not a random passenger, nameless and unknown in the crowd of humanity. And the One who travels with you isn’t afraid of your tears, overwhelmed by your struggles or hesitant about entering into your happiness and celebrations. 

We are beloved children of the God who breathed life into our lungs and who numbers every hair on our heads. So let’s go boldly into the next moment with the holy confidence that all things are possible and, in the end, all will be made right.