Man vs. Fearናሙና

Is Fear Here To Stay?

You’ve likely heard this quote from U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He goes on to explain that fear paralyzes one from tackling the issue at hand.

It’s easy to quote Roosevelt, but it’s another thing when our teenage daughter hasn’t come home when expected, or when we lose our job, or when illness comes knocking on our door. We react with fear when danger or bad news upsets our serene world.

We men, however, may suppress our fear to appear strong in front of our families—but we experience the fear regardless.

Although fear is a reality in our world, it’s incredibly encouraging to know it won’t always be this way.

In today’s verse, Revelation 21:4 reminds us that in Heaven, God will wipe every tear from our eyes. He will eliminate death, mourning, and pain, for our current fallen world will have passed away. There won’t be any injury, sickness, or death to fear. No relational heartbreak or hate. No financial ruin, crime, disaster, or war. The Lord will have settled everything. As God says in v. 5, “I am making everything new!”

Flipping back to the beginning, we see that fear had no place in Eden. Everything God made was “good” (Genesis 1:1-31). It wasn’t until humanity gave in to the serpent’s temptation that everything was ruined. Adam was afraid and hid from God (Genesis 3:10). Fear reared its ugly head and has remained ever since.

We men like to fix things. If we could simply fix fear, I’m sure we’d get to work. But this problem is too big for us to fix. It takes the Lord Almighty to fix the problem, and He’ll crush it in Heaven.

In the meantime, we don’t have to grin and bear it when it comes to fear. As we read in yesterday's devotional, we can trust that Jesus is with us.

But at the same time, we can find immeasurable comfort in the fact that it won’t always be this way. The Lord is not asleep at the wheel. He is sovereignly aware of the fear and suffering in the world and will end it all on His terms and in His timing, on the day that He says, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 21:6).

Prayer: Yes, Lord, You are the Beginning and the End. As I live in between, may I trust in You to carry me through fears, doubts, and struggles. May I not pretend to be brave in my own strength but find my bravery in You and Your promise to make all things new on that day. Amen.

Reflection: How does knowing that God will one day eliminate fear and suffering encourage you in the here and now? Though we are not God, how can we do our part to manage fear in our lives?