The Path to Peace: Experiencing God's Comfort When You're OverwhelmedSample

From Fear to Peace

Have you ever felt terrified?

Not just afraid—but really, truly terrified?

For me, one of these moments happened when I experienced my first anaphylactic reaction. My palms and the bottoms of my feet suddenly turned red and alive with inflammation and itchiness. The walls around me whirled and surged as I began to black out. My body was completely out of my control.

After an ambulance ride and a short stay in the ER, I quickly found an allergist. I now carry an EpiPen with me wherever I go. Fear motivated me to get the help I needed.

When we think of Moses, we might think of the baby in the basket, or maybe the prince of Egypt.

But no matter how we think of Moses, when his name comes up, it is easy to remember him in the flashy moments: the plagues in Egypt, the exodus of God’s people, the parting of the Red Sea, the provision of manna in the desert. At every turn, his life seems incredible.

But his is also a life marked by fear.

Moses felt immense fear when he came upon the presence of God in the desert—and with good reason. In the Old Testament, we learn that no one could see the face of God and live (Exodus 33:20). Moses was afraid for his life.

But fear is actually a gift to us, for it can help us when we respond to it rightly. In Exodus 3, we see that Moses’ fear led him to strip off his sandals, fall to his knees, and listen to God. My fear led me to find a doctor and get emergency medicine.

In whatever circumstance you find yourself today, remember that the fear you feel is meant to strengthen you to get the help that you need. And while that help may come in the form of a doctor or medicine or a counselor, what the human heart ultimately needs is the peace that comes from the presence of God. Why? Because God is our greatest Helper (Psalm 118:7, John 14:26).

Yes—that same Presence that scared Moses is actually also the antidote to his fear. The presence of God becomes his help.

For while God is mighty and awesome, he is also humble and lowly. The God whose presence alarmed Moses in the desert is the same one who came as the baby born in a manger. The same God whose existence emblazoned the bush is the same one who hugged children and touched lepers and ate with sinners. He knew Moses and called him by name; he knows you and calls you by name too.

And although it is God’s presence that frightens Moses at first, it is also actually what saves him: God overcomes Moses’ fear with his presence. For as he calls Moses into a new role—as the leader of the Israelites—Moses is deeply afraid. God’s answer to him? “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). God would be with Moses—and that truth offered him peace.

God’s presence is what gives us peace when we come face-to-face with our fears. He is the antidote to our fear, not because our fears disappear, but because we don’t face them alone. His presence is our help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Christ’s presence with you, through the great gift of the Holy Spirit, is the help that you need to overcome fear and experience peace—the peace of a soul that is at rest in God and with God, knowing that you are never alone.