Fighting Fear

When our worries combine with a feeling that things are out of our control, we can feel overwhelmed with fear. But God’s love and trust in Him provide an antidote to fear.

We were going to the park! I grinned and bit into my juicy hamburger. Hamburgers for dinner, and a trip to the park afterwards! What more could a 10-year-old ask of life?

I finished my hamburger and ran outside to put my bucket and shovel in the car for playing in the park’s huge sandbox. But when I came back, something was wrong. Why was Daddy leaning on the counter like that? And why did Mamma look so worried?

Before I realized it, all three of us kids were sitting in the car as Mamma drove us to the hospital. Daddy was leaning back in his seat, not saying anything. I was scared.

Soon we were in the hospital, and Daddy was in a bed with a doctor leaning over him asking questions. I sat silently against the wall, watching them both.

The doctor turned around. “I’ll have to ask the children to leave,” he said. “You can stay,” he said, addressing my mom, “but the kids need to go.”

I stared at him. Why did he want us to leave? Mamma took us down to the lobby and went back up to see Daddy again. I sat quietly trying to grasp the situation. Fear overtook me. What if I never saw my daddy again?

Fear. We’ve all felt it. We all know the awful chilling sensation fear seems to bring. But what is fear? Simply put, fear is an emotion. We fear many things: losing a job, dying, the death of a loved one, losing someone’s trust, etc. But what IS fear? Basically, fear is the worry that something—usually a life-changing something—will occur or not occur, as the case may be.

No fear in love

How does the Bible describe fear? In 1 John 4:18, John says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

Fear, then, is the absence of perfect love since “perfect love casts out fear.” Paul’s description of perfect love includes, “It [love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:7, New International Version). If we do not have perfect love for God, our trust in Him will falter and we will be afraid. Only perfect love trusts perfectly. Fear is a lack of trust in God to take care of us and those around us and do what is best for us and our loved ones.

Satan loves to use fear to cripple us in our struggle to grow. Fear can keep us from doing what God wants us to do and can cause us to draw away from Him. Fear is a terrible threat to our Christian lives.

Combating the paralyzing influence of fear

So what can we do to combat the paralyzing influence of fear? Paul tells us, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). God has given us a spirit of love, and perfect love casts out fear. Thus, as we draw closer to God and learn to trust Him and love Him more perfectly, our fears will vanish away.

One way we can combat fear as soon as it happens is to pray and ask God to help us deal with the fear. When we ask His help, our Father is always willing to give assistance to His children.

Something else that is helpful is to memorize scriptures detailing God’s promises to protect and take care of us. The Psalms are full of verses telling of God’s goodness and love (Psalms 3:3; 34:17; 94:14). Thinking of the promises of God can help us to cast out fear and put our trust in Him.

In God I have put my trust

As it turned out, nothing was really wrong with my dad. The heart attack symptoms that he experienced were caused by a type of acid reflux that frequently mimics a heart attack. It’s been years since the incident, but it’s not easy to forget the helpless feelings you have when life hands you something you can’t control.

Fortunately for you and me, the One who IS in control of everything in our lives is the Being who loves us more than anyone else can.

As we draw closer to Him, let us learn to echo the psalmist: “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4).

Ginny Morris is a high school sophomore and enjoys writing, horseback riding and reading.

For more on fear and faith, see:

• Four Enemies of Faith
• Don’t Be Afraid!
• How to Pray