“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." ~ Psalm 56:3
During a time like this, with so much going on in the world, there is no shortage of devotionals telling people “do not be afraid.” Of course, that is easier said then done, and no one seems to have a good method for how people can control their emotions; that is because YOU CAN’T. Go ahead and try. I’ll give you a few moments.
All these devotionals telling people not to feel a certain emotion (i.e. fear) seem to be under the impression that people are able to control what they feel by force of will. If that was true, would anyone ever choose to feel sad, or depressed, or anxious? If we can control what we feel by simply choosing to not be afraid, this would seem to suggest that we can control our emotions. If you can do that, then “do not be afraid” is probably all you need to hear.
But what about for everyone else who have emotions that do not obey our will? I know for myself, hearing people say “do not be afraid” can be quite depressing. I try not to be afraid, but I feel what I feel no matter what I want to feel. Then I start to think about why it is not working. Am I not praying enough? Is my faith and trust in God not strong enough? What is wrong with me? Trying to simply “do not be afraid” feels like an impossible task, like Sisyphus trying to push a boulder up the hill, only to have it always roll back down and having to start again.
But, let us look at what scripture actually says on the matter. To begin with, it is true that the phrase “fear not” appears in scripture at least 80 times. Here are a few passages that you often hear used:
· “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~ Isaiah 41:10
· “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” ~ Psalm 23:4
· “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6-7
· “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9
Here is the thing: I absolutely agree with what the scripture says. But the problem is taking these passages and using them to support a blanket statement of something like, “do not fear.” But what about the flipside of things? If we are going to use scripture to support a blanket “do not fear” position, how do we reconcile that with other scriptures that seem to suggest that fear is not all bad? What am I talking about?
· “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” ~ Proverbs 1:7.
· “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” ~ Matthew 10:28
· “So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being.” ~ Deuteronomy 10:12-13
· “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” ~ Philippians 2:12-13
Fear has a place and a purpose in our lives. Fear keeps us from doing things that we shouldn’t do, like walking into traffic. Fear helps us keep in right relationship with God, because fear of the Lord helps keep us humble and reverent. But fear becomes a problem when it becomes a dominant controlling force in our lives, when fear can sometimes reflect a struggle with wanting to be in control over things that we were never meant to control, nor are we even capable of controlling them. Fear becomes a problem when it distracts us from God and puts our sole focus on ourselves. When fear becomes a controlling force in our lives, dare I say, it becomes an idol of worship, feeding our desire to be “god” over our own lives rather than allowing God to be Lord of our lives.
Take, for example, when the angel appeared to the shepherds in Luke. As the angel appeared to declare the good news of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, he said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people (Luke 2:10).” The fact that the shepherds were afraid at the appearance of the angel wasn’t the problem; actually, as an emotional response to being confronted with something so glorious and holy, fear seems like quite a natural response, just like Isaiah being confronted by the presence of God (Isaiah 6:1-6). But, if the shepherds had allowed fear to take control by running away or cowering in fear, they would have missed out on the message of joy and hope that God wanted them to hear. Fear could have become a barrier between the shepherds and God, but by not allowing fear to control them, the shepherds got to enjoy God revealing Himself to them through the angels in that moment.
We live in scary times, and there is much in the world that can be quite frightening. But, as fear helps us to remain vigilant, aware, and steadfast, we must also be cautious about allowing fear to dethrone God in our lives and distracting us from the hope we have in Him. God is bigger than the struggles of this world, and He is more than prepared to stand with us against the darkness. After all, we serve a God who spoke the world into existence, and His love, peace, and strength is infinite.