When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
Psalm 56:3-4 (NIV)
Fear
has become our constant companion. The global pandemic of the past two years
has sowed the seeds of fear in the hearts of many. Today that fear has been
escalated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We fear for the people of
Ukraine who are being brutally attacked. We fear for the consequences of the
fall of Ukraine to the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin. We fear the possible
explosion of WWIII.
Fear is
one of Satan’s most powerful weapons. He uses fear to manipulate people’s
natural responses. Some people, when they are afraid, respond by lashing out at
others. This can be in the form of hurtful words or hurtful, even violent,
actions. Some people, when they are afraid, withdraw. They close off the rest
of the world. The hide, hoping that the cause of their fear will just go away.
Other people, when they are afraid, run away. They try to put as much distance
between themselves and the cause of their fear as possible. The problem with
these responses, and others, is that we take our fear with us. Instead of
dealing positively with our fear, we allow it to grow and dominate our lives.
The
only real way to positively deal with our fear is to confront it. When I was in
junior high, I was bullied. My fear escalated to the place where I would jump
when anyone came up behind me. My fear was eating me alive. After confessing my
situation to my parents, I took a stand and confronted the bully, and the
bullying stopped. I had to come to the place where I refused to let fear
dominate my life.
We cannot
always directly confront the “bully” in our life, but we can determine not to
let fear dominate our lives. The first step is being honest with ourselves
about our fear. Being willing to own our
fear is the first step to dealing with it. Am I afraid of not being liked or am
I afraid my world is going to collapse? What is the cause of my fear? Why am I
responding in this way? For example, we may be afraid of the consequences of
the war in Ukraine because they are totally out of our control. Sharing our
fear with a trusted friend can open the door to really dealing with our fear.
Fear flourishes in isolation and is diminished when it is brought out into the
light.
Once we
have owned our fear, we need to take that fear to God. Throughout the
scriptures, time and again, God says to His people, do not be afraid. He is not
telling them to buck up and be strong. He is telling them to rely on the power
of His presence. As God said to Joshua as he faced the daunting task of leading
the people of Israel into the promised land, “Have I not commanded you? Be
strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD
your God will be with you wherever you go.” The key to overcoming our fear
is holding onto God’s promise that He will go with us wherever we go. We are
not alone in our struggles. Whatever it is that is causing us to be afraid, God
is fully aware of it, and He is more than adequate to empower us to face our
fear.
Once we
have owned our fear and taken to God, then we need to face our fear in His
power. We need to ask for wisdom to know what steps we should take to address
our fear. In some cases, we need to have the courage to face it head on. There
times when we just need to boldly step into the very situation that causes us
to be afraid. I’m sure the men of Ukraine are afraid of the invading Russian
army, but they are willingly taking up arms to oppose it. For most of us, our
response will not be so dramatic, but it will take just as much courage. In
same cases, we need to accept the reality that there is nothing we can do about
the situation. In these cases, we need to confidently leave them in the hands
of God. And in some cases, we just need to diffuse our fear by gaining the
information and knowledge that will help us to better understand the situation
we are faced with.
How we
face our fears, how we respond to our fears, is a measure of our faith. When we
allow fear to dominate our lives, we fail to tap into the power of God that is available
to us. Fear is a normal part of the human experience, but it does not have to
be in control. When we are faced with fear, we can look to Christ to give us
the strength, courage, and wisdom to rise above it.
Let us fix our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set
before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful
men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV)
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