Walking in Faith in a World of Fear

“Mom, hurry up and get home,” Carter blurted out before the car door had fully closed. “What’s going on?” his mom asked. This was the third day in a row that Carter seemed rushed to get home after school. “I don’t ever want to use the school bathroom during the day so now I really have to go to the bathroom,” he replied. His mom looked at him perplexed. Carter, I don’t understand. Why don’t you just use the bathroom at school? He didn’t want to say anything. If he told her, he knew that he would sound like a wimp. But she clearly wasn’t going to drive away until she was satisfied with an answer, so he sheepishly responded under his breath, “Well, ever since we had our ‘lock down drill’ to be prepared for a potential school shooter, I’ve been afraid I might get trapped in the bathroom if a shooter actually comes in.”

“Oh Carter,” she replied with a look of sadness, “you don’t have to live in fear of that.” Carter knew she meant well, but truthfully, being told not to fear didn’t make his fears any less of a possible reality. He had seen the news lately, and he simply didn’t know how to not be afraid. It seemed far easier to control his circumstances in whatever way possible.

Can you relate to that kind of a fear? Maybe not the same kind of fear, but we all know the feeling of fear all-too-well. Maybe you fear the terrible things that you hear circulating in the news; you fear failing or weaknesses being exposed; you fear the evil that seems to come closer and closer to your front door; you fear all the possible outcomes as you get sicker by the day; you fear for your loved one’s eternal salvation as they wander further from the Lord; or maybe you live in constant fear of what others think of you.

The fact is, there’s a lot to be afraid of in this world, isn’t there? And being told “don’t be afraid” doesn’t often equate to peace in our minds when there’s a lot to fear.

Instead, we need to know why we don’t have to be afraid and where to find the strength to live courageously despite all there is to fear. The fears may remain, but we can be helped and strengthened to face them with courage.

Thankfully, God’s Word talks a lot about fear. Even better, it talks a lot about where to go with our fears.

King David, the same impressive guy who took down Goliath with nothing more than a sling shot and some stones, wrote countless Psalms that expressed the many fears he had, and where he found his comfort. One of my favorites is Psalm 27.

“The Lord is my light

and my salvation–

whom should I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life–

whom should I dread?

Though an army deploys against me,

My heart will not be afraid;

Though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident” (vs.1, 3).

David wasn’t writing this from the comfort of a palace. He wasn’t even sitting on the throne that God had promised he would have one day. He was running, hiding in exile while the current King Saul was hunting him down to kill him. I’d say David had every reason to be afraid.

But David had a secret weapon: faith in the God of the universe who had promised him that he would one day be king. Every time David had something to fear, he would remind himself that he could trust God as his Protector. In the darkness, logic wasn’t the solution–God’s promises were the light to his path. In fear of being taken captive, the Lord himself would be his salvation. And when he was afraid of the very real threats that were coming at him, he reminded himself that God was his stronghold, like a thick impenetrable fortress that no enemy could go through without God himself allowing it. Basically, he was able to say to his fears, “To get to me, you first have to get through my God.”

I’m sure you can quickly think of the things you feel afraid of, whether little worries or massive fears. I know I can. But thankfully, that doesn’t make us weak or pathetic, it simply means we’re human.

The good news is this: God has given us so many promises to help us fight our fears and not be controlled by them. Here are a few practical ways we can do so:

Tell the Lord About Your Fears

While David was hiding from Saul, he knew he always had God’s ear. David prayed honestly, “Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation. Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me” (vs.7, 9b-10).

For those of us who follow Jesus as their Savior, God promises to hear us when we pray, and he promises to answer (Psalm 34:17). He doesn’t promise us that he will protect us from every hard thing that could happen in life, but he does promise that he won’t let anything happen to us that won’t ultimately be for our lasting good. For example, he may allow the disappointment of getting sick, causing us to miss an important event or vacation. After all, getting sick is just part of living in a broken world that’s been affected by sin. But because God knows what is best for us in the long run, he can use that disappointment to help us learn to not put our hope in this world–in moments that don’t last. Over time, as we choose to trust his plan, we will grow to not be quite so devastated by every little disappointment in life.

Even still, God tells us that there is nothing too small to bring to him. We can still bring him our desires, fears, worries, and troubles, trusting that he can protect us. But even when he chooses to allow hard things, he promises to give us the exact amount of grace and strength we need to endure it.

Make Choices From Wisdom, Not Fear

David was running and hiding from Saul when he wrote this. Was he not trusting God? Of course not! He was being wise to avoid the person who wanted him dead! But David didn’t run forever. He simply waited on God’s timing until it was wise to come out of hiding.

God has given us a mind to think, reason, and make choices. But sometimes we let our feelings and fears control our thoughts and actions, rather than using God-given wisdom to guide our feelings and fears. For example, consider Carter’s fear above. His fear of “what if there’s a school shooter someday” (although an understandable fear) is preventing him from taking care of himself on a daily basis. While wisdom tells us to live with discernment and appropriate caution, fear tells us to live and base decisions off of future unknowns, rather than present reality. But the truth is, none of us know what the future holds. We can, however, trust that God does hold the future in his hands. And we can ask him for wisdom as David did. “Because of my adversaries, show me your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path” (v.11).

But what does that look like?

Living in wisdom, rather than fear, means we live with the discernment God gives us. Part of that discernment looks like considering what we can and can’t control in life. We can control the decisions we make and our response to circumstances, but rarely do we have control over the circumstances that come into our lives. We can’t control the actions of others or how they choose to treat us, but we can control what kind of friend we are to others and the kind of people we choose to spend our time with. We can’t control if we get the job we applied for, if our children choose a good path in life, or if we’ll see the fruit of our efforts, but we can control the effort we put in by relying on the Lord’s help to live faithfully to what he’s called us to in this season.

When we face fear, we can learn to ask ourselves: is this something I can or can’t control? Then as God, “What does wisdom and discernment look like right now?” For example, if we’re afraid of something terrifying or tragic happening, that fear is something we can’t control other than wisely avoiding situations that clearly put ourselves in danger. Tell your fear, “No I can’t control whether or not that happens, but God does. And I can trust him because he says that he is my helper and will give me the strength for anything I might face because he cares for me. Because of that, I can take one step at a time today with courage because I won’t walk it alone.”

Find Courage and Comfort in the Promise that God Will be Faithful

Often, God has a different plan than we do because he knows us better than we know ourselves. He doesn’t promise to protect us from every disappointment or difficulty in this life, but he does give us wisdom to live by.

Trust is not the same thing as “positive thinking”. Positive thinking is nothing more than trying to wish our desires into existence. But what we choose to focus on does impact what we believe and feel.

That’s why David continues to remind himself of what is true, even though it might not feel true in the moment.

“I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord” (vs. 13-14)

David believed that God was going to be faithful to him, even when he had every reason to fear. And God promises to be faithful to you, too. There is so much comfort in being able to replace our “what ifs” with “even if”. Instead of “what if that thing happens to me”, with God’s help, we can learn to say with courage, “even if that thing happens to me, I can trust that Jesus will be there and will give me the strength I need.” The greatest thing we might fear losing–our very lives–we can trust that God already knows the days of our life. David wrote in Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” God already knows the number of your days and nothing and no one can touch you apart from his good plan for your life. And he really, truly, does know and want what is best for you. He’s a good, loving Father. And he knows exactly what will bring you the most joy in this world–even if it comes through the least expected, and sometimes unwanted, circumstances in life.

When fear overwhelms you, know that you aren’t left to fight it alone. And you don’t have to be a victim to it. Like David, talk to God honestly about what worries you, use the wisdom he gives you, and with his help, live courageously because you have the God of the universe in your corner. Life may have its ups and downs, but in the end, you can know without a doubt that God is for you, and his faithfulness will always have the final word.

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1. What are your greatest fears right now? Write them out.
2. Which promises from this Psalm can you write in response to each fear?

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Memorize Isaiah 41:10:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Home is around the corner,

Sarah

To read more of Sarah’s writings, you can pick up a copy of He Gives More Grace: 30 Reflections for the Ups and Downs of Motherhood, Hope When It Hurts: 30 Biblical Reflections to help you grasp God’s purpose in your suffering), Tears and Tossings (short evangelistic resource on how God carries our sorrows), or Together Through the Storms (for married couples navigating the trials of life). Lastly, you can now order Sarah’s Pilgrim’s Progress inspired children’s book based on the account of the Prodigal Son, titled “The Long Road Home” (Crossway).