Fear And The Goodness Of GodНамуна

It’s always easy on the happy-ending side of a crisis to talk about fear as something I’ve overcome. How many heart-pounding events and terrifying expectations has God already carried me safely through? I should be catechized in the way God works and should know, deep in my bones, that He’s not going to abandon me the next time trouble arises. Considering all of the stories I’ve read and lived, I should know that in His hands there is nothing to fear.

Sometimes I think “worry” is a temptation behind me. But I can only believe that in moments when courage isn’t required of me. It’s easy to feel brave when money is in the bank, health is in my bones, and loved ones are by my side. But when a fresh uncertainty or trial confronts me, fear is always waiting there, ready to strike again—eager to sink its teeth into my soul. Every time, I must pray fervently for the strength to fight it and to trust in God’s fatherly care. It’s no wonder “Fear not” is such a common refrain in the Bible; we give way to fear the way a feather gives way to wind.

That’s one of the reasons telling the stories of God’s faithfulness is so valuable; these stories remind us who He is and how He raises us up from the dust again and again. These stories prepare us to ask for and expect that same faithfulness the next time trouble comes. And it will come. The entire book of Psalms is filled with just this sort of song of deliverance: I was afraid. Terrors surrounded me on every side. But I called out to God, and He answered me. So I will praise Him.

The experiences of the psalmists were not unique to them, however. Every one of us could think of stories from our own lives with the same themes. And even if we haven’t lived through such terrible experiences ourselves, these stories of deliverance belong to all of God’s people. When the Israelites annually revisited the history of their emancipation from slavery by eating the Passover lamb, they retold, generation after generation, the story of God’s saving power. And in the celebrations punctuating the Christian calendar, we do the same. Every Christmas reminds us of how the Light came down and entered our darkness. And every Easter reminds us of how our God has broken the chains that enslaved us to sin and death. Stories all through Scripture repeat again and again: fear not.

The reason we must be told not to fear is because fear is the natural response to circumstances of great danger, suffering, or loss. It is in the very hours when fear is most natural that we are most called upon to walk by faith and not by sight.