Our world promotes many messages that tell us that fear is a weakness. Check out these quotes about fear that I found on the Internet:
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela.
“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” – Marie Curie
“I’ll give you something to be scared about!” (Many parents in moments of exasperation about a child’s unwillingness to try something new.)
What Would God say if I admitted I was afraid?
The undercurrent of these famous fear quotes is that if you’re afraid, either your fear is unfounded, or you’d better get over it. Face it and find it within yourself to move forward anyway. But reading those kind of quotes always left me feeling like a yellow-bellied scaredy-cat for admitting that I was afraid.
I discovered that God has a much different reaction to our fear. The Bible tells us in multiple places, “Do not fear,” but the reason why is quite different.
God says, “I am with you.”
In the pages of the Bible, God never shamed his people for their fear. He never minimized the situations they faced. His words “Fear not” or “Don’t be afraid” were words of reassurance, not a command. We see that because God quickly follows up his words with the reason why we don’t need to be afraid.
He is with us.
What difference does God’s proximity make?
How should God’s companionship impact how we approach the scary things in our lives? Here are three reasons why God’s constant presence makes a difference in how you face fearful situations:
- God is bigger than any force that would come against you. Like a peace-keeping unit in a military war zone, God’s mere presence is a show of force to our spiritual enemy. We’re always safer when we don’t face something alone. There truly is safety in numbers. With God at our side, that makes two of you.
- More than merely another person in the room, God is strong enough to overcome anything that comes against you. Like a champion bodyguard, He stands beside you ready to tackle anything aimed at you. His glorified presence sends a clear statement to your spiritual enemy: “Back off.”
- And He promises to fill you with the power and wisdom you need to stand strong and ward off any flaming darts hurled at you. He can give you superhuman strength to keep from collapsing from any onslaught. If the enemy threatens to take the basics of life and livelihood from you, God has unlimited resources to replenish all that you need.
Contrary to the wisdom of fear quotes found on the Internet, the strength to overcome our fears comes not from ourselves, but from God. I’m so glad. Because let’s face reality. I am fallible. I am weak. As much I want an “I can do it” mentality that says I can face down whatever comes my way, truth says I have my limits.
More truth
A lot of scary things are happening in our world, causing many to overreact to anything out of the ordinary. We saw a lot of what we would term unnecessary fear leading up to the solar eclipse in April 2024. While events like solar eclipses are nothing to fear, wicked people can use those events to catch the innocent off guard. And many dangers in our world have moved from a distant possibility to an up-close probability. We need something stronger than denial or self-talk to overcome our fear of those out-of-control forces.
The answer is God. He is far more reliable than any human being. His power is infinite. His understanding of situations is far beyond my limited perceptions. While I don’t and never will have all the understanding I need (sorry, Madam Curie), I can trust the One does know all and can overcome all.
And even if we physically die in spiritual conflict, we do not die alone. He’s still there, reassuring us to the end of earthly life that He will win the war even if it is our time to exit the fight. He has promised that He will be with us to the end of the age. I truly believe conditions in this world will deteriorate before the Lord comes back. It will be a rough ride. It will be scary. But the Lord reassures us. For the Christian, He will stay with us through ever difficult moment.
Stand strong, my friend
Stay calm. Implore the Lord for wisdom on how to face the danger. Feel His strong hand on your shoulder. Relax, because He’s not going anywhere.
Do not fear. God is with you.
Amen! Thank you for this!