If you are human, then most likely you have fears of some sort. In a world which can get pretty difficult at times, we are often apprehensive about what we see, hear, or experience. Some of us may have many fears, others maybe a few, but chances are we all have some. Sometimes fear can alert us to the presence of danger or the threat of harm, but some of our fears get in the way of our life. Small fears may not impact our lives much, but great fears can cause us anxiety and stop us from doing what God may need us to do on our paths.
Because of these fears, people may surround themselves with a fence and a gate that they only open for certain people to protect them from the things they are afraid of. This fear makes it difficult for God to reach them, as it may keep out the people or things he sends to help with their faith and what they are called to do. They see through the fence at what God sends, but they are afraid to reach out of their comfort zone to let others in.
God does not want us to be fearful for throughout the Bible, he tells us, “Do not be afraid.” One version of the Bible says that “do not fear” appears 57 times and “do not be afraid” appears 46 times. Other versions say it is in there 365 times, one for each day of the year. The point is that God tells us we do not need to be afraid of any person, circumstance, or created thing. He wants us to know that he would never leave us and goes before us in all things. He protects us, especially in times of suffering or hardship, and does not want us to hold on to our worries and fears.
So, what do we do with our fears? We constantly bring them to God and trust completely in him, for they belong to him anyway. More times than I can count, when I am stressed, worried, or concerned about a situation or what is about to happen, I tell God, “This is not my problem. It is yours.” When I give it to him, he takes care of it and me.
In reality, all problems are God’s problems no matter how big or small as long we give it to him. He will help us cope with all our fears and may even eliminate them depending on what he wants to teach us. Each fear is an opportunity for God to teach us to trust and depend on him, and to always bring us wisdom for ourselves and to help others.
God sees and knows what troubles our hearts, and has great compassion for us, but he waits until we choose to give it to him. We must believe that he is mightier and more powerful than all evil which may surround us in our world, especially what we fear. We have to trust that he will never forsake us, and never let go of our hearts and all the trust we have placed in him. If we are truly able to do this, knowing that God is in control, we can feel a great courage and peace. This allows God to take care of all that worries us according to his time and will.
With God taking on all our fears, we have no need to be afraid, and as his faithful ones and his candles, we can then do great things for his people. So, what are you afraid of?
Copyright © 2024 Marsha Luke – Rights for non-commercial reproduction granted: May be copied in its entirety, but neither retyped nor edited.