From a popular 90’s phrase, “No Fear!” to a Bible fav, “Fear Not!”, there are plenty of voices telling us fear is a bad thing. And yet many are consumed by it. Lets set a few things straight on the matter, and look to God for the final word.
You can have a healthy ‘fear’ of many things. In the dark, its easy to trip on something. In the woods, something could bite. In public places, we could get sick. This is to have heightened awareness paired with cautious actions. Aka… Being careful. But wait, is this really fear?
2. You can have irrational fears, which we would all agree aren’t good for anyone at all. For example: constantly being afraid a future pandemic. …Wait. That hits home, and doesn’t sound irrational at all right now! This is just confusing.
Fortunately, God happens to be really smart and has a couple of things to say on the matter, and that can be really great for our self-tortured minds during times of stress.
Truly unhealthy fear occurs when anxiety develops from things unseen and beyond our control.
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Fears never manifest in the past. You are not afraid of what happened to you yesterday. Its already happened. We can be upset by it, even learn from it. But we aren’t afraid of it. Deep fears only manifest in the concern for our future. But how odd is this? While tomorrow could be bad, it could also be the best day of our lives. Same chance as today had and each day of our lives before. And in sum total, what an amazing life filled with amazing days!
Matthew 6:34
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Finally, pray today for a peaceful spirit and know that we worship the God who created this world, and rules our past, present, and future. And in that we can truly: 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. -Isaiah 41:10
