Fear may trigger our fight or flight response, but we can respond calmly instead of self destructing. When God said, “Do not be afraid,” he was not scolding people to prohibit their feelings but comforting people who were already afraid. Many people hide their fear, thinking that God and others would look down on them for feeing afraid. But God tells us, “Do not be afraid,” not as a command, but as a reassurance. He lets us know we do not have to stay afraid. Please join me as I explore God’s gentle response to our fear, so we can find peace in the midst of it.
God wants to comfort us, not attack us when we feel afraid. While angry parents mock their frightened children, a kind mother wants to comfort a child who is afraid of the dark. Even though the mom knows everything will be OK, and the fear is misguided, the mom does not scold her child and tell her the fear is irrational. Instead, she offers compassion to soothe her child’s heart and to calm her mind. She uses her love to defeat her child’s fear. God confirms this in 1 John 4:18, when he says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” God lets us know he will not punish us for our fear, the way harsh family members may have done, but he will comfort us.
Many Scriptures refer to how God will help his frightened people. In Deuteronomy 20:1-4 the Lord comforted the Israelite armies before they went out to war. God promised that he would fight for them. In Luke 1:23-31, Mary was frightened by the angel Gabriel and his message. The angel not only told her to not be afraid but also reassured her she had found favor with God. God comforted Paul in Acts 27:23-26 when he told Paul that he would not drown in the shipwreck and, due to Paul’s prayers, God would save the entire crew of the doomed ship.
God gives us specific reasons for not being afraid, from Isa.41:30 where God not only says to not fear but also says, “For I am with you.” It is so much more reassuring to face a situation with a friend than alone. Then in verse 13 he tells Isaiah that not only does he not need to fear, but says “I will help you.” God goes into even more detail in Isa.43:1 when he tells Isaiah that he does not need to fear, because God has “called you by your name; you are mine.” God knows our nature. He not only knows our names, but he knows how we think, feel and act. He makes a plan for our lives that is unique, unlike the plan he has for others.
This means that when we see problems others have and we feel afraid, we do not need to stay in that fear. God might not put us through those exact problems. Or if he puts us through something similar, he will give us resources that we need as individuals. God does not treat us as if we were all the same kind of person. This is why he could tell the Israelite army he would fight for them, but with Isaiah, he said he would be with him. For different people, he offers different kinds of comfort and resources.
God empowers us according to our own needs. He knows what we need to be comforted when we are afraid. One person may fear looking stupid. Another person may dread being physically weak. Yet another may fear running out of money. Whatever the problem, different people have different triggers for their fear. We need to be aware of our fear, so we do not lash out at others, or withdraw from others in fear. God wants to reassure us, but we also need to be aware of what frightens us, individually, and then be aware when we fall into fear.
I know a man who does not admit to his fear. He often lashes out. Yet many times, under his annoyance and anger, he feels fear. But he grew up in a home where being weak meant being attacked. So he attacks first before anyone can perceive the weakness and fear in him. This man does not understand God’s love and as a result, he has never surrendered his heart to the Lord. Often this is the reason why people attack us; they are afraid but they will never admit to us or to others that they are afraid.
But when we admit we are afraid to God, he is tender. He does not look down on us for our fear the way some families did to small children (hence they grow up to be angry people.) It is never too late to admit to fear and ask God to heal it. He is always ready to comfort those who are afraid.
What do we do with the angry people who lash out, but we suspect they are actually afraid? Sometimes God gives us clues into why the people are angry. He may direct us to reassure the person about something. We might say, “The money will not run out,” or “You are very smart, and I know you can do it,” or offer reassurance about something else important to that person. When God gives us this insight, we must use it gently and never as a weapon against an angry person. The Holy Spirit gives us special insights for the sake of comforting others, the same way God comforts us. We must never use the gifts of the Spirit for our own benefit, but to help others.
At others times, God does not tell us what is distressing a person, which Elisha described in 2 Kings 4:27 b, when he said, “She is deeply troubled but the Lord has not told me what it is.” That prophet knew many things, but God did not supernaturally tell Elisha what was troubling the Shunnamite woman. In that case, Elisha had to ask her what troubled her, and she told him. If we wait until a person calms down, sometimes we can talk about what was truly bothering the person. But if the person is too volatile, then we must back away from their anger and pray for them. We can pray that God would convict them and show them their underlying fear so they can bring it him for healing.
So let us bring our fear to the Lord right away and know that he wants to comfort us like a good parent. He does not want to shame us. We are his joy. We can also comfort ourselves, in the Lord, trusting in his love and being gentle with ourselves. Since God does not shame us for our fear, we must not shame ourselves.
I pray we have comforted you with this week’s post on fear. If you ever feel fearful, come back to this post and look up the sweet Bible verses I have shared, so you can feel God’s gentle comfort for your fear. May the Lord bless you this week.