Fear
I don’t know how our daughter got the notion that clowns were scary, but there we were in the parking lot trying to wrestle an unwilling four-year-old into a stroller. We tried to reassure her that the circus was going to be fun and that clowns were not scary but funny. Nevertheless, she plastered her arms around my neck and buried her head in my sweater. Knowing if we went home it would reinforce the fear, we decided to go into the circus.
Science tells us that fear is our body’s way of protecting us. Our brain emits a cocktail of hormones helping us navigate the threat in front of us. Adrenaline pumps through our veins, speeding up our reflexes. This is all well and good until it is surging through a little girl’s body who is now choking the life out of you. There was no amount of coaxing or rationalizing. She had imaged a ten-foot-tall clown with sharp teeth. She thought we were the crazy ones.
If we are honest, fear chokes out a lot of our life on a daily basis. Maybe not a phobia of clowns, but things we may not even identify as fearful thoughts. We tolerate them and then they sink deep into the scenery of our minds as permanent fixtures.
Fear of not having enough.
Fear of losing someone we love.
Fear of disappointing someone we respect.
Fear that we are wasting our lives.
Fear of not being enough….
We think that by “doing” we can control the outcome.
I can work harder and save more so I will always have enough.
I can eliminate every danger in my immediate world to protect those I love.
I will do everything in my power to make those around me proud.
I will build my kingdom well so at the end of my life, I have something to show for it.
From childhood we subconsciously begin to make observations of any and all possible threats. The internal narrative begins with all those “I” statements. Unfortunately, we train ourselves that somehow, we have control. “If I….”
Scripture has a lot to say about fear. Isaiah 41:10 has been one of my life verses to combat trepidatious times in my life.
“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.”
We are instructed to not fear or be dismayed. The word dismayed means to feel distressed by something unexpected.
These commands are followed up by sweet and glorious promises. There are five places where God interjects His “I am” or “I will” statements.
We are susceptible to fear when we think we are alone. We forget we were not created to live life apart from His presence. We were created for relationship with the Father. When we lose sight of the God of power and glory present in our lives, we start to see the world from a scary perspective. Fear says, “God has abandoned you. He isn’t that powerful.”
BUT God cannot and will not lie to us. His presence does make all the difference.
“Every truthful man feels that he has a right to be believed. He speaks upon the honor of an honest man, and if you say, 'I cannot believe you,' and even begin to lament that you have no faith in him, the reflection is not upon yourself, but on the person whom you cannot believe. And shall it ever come to this, that God's own children shall say that they cannot believe their God? Oh, sin of sins! It takes away the very Godhead from God, for if God be not true, he is not a God; and if he be not fit to be believed, neither is he fit to be adored, for a God whom you cannot trust you cannot worship." (Spurgeon)[1]
Isn’t it interesting that the “I” statements we make to combat our fears depend on one thing: our ability to uphold the statement? “I will….”
In contrast, the end of Isaiah 41:10 encourages us to examine another hand. “I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” His hand will not fail us. He has scars to prove His undying love. We can trust the One who died for us.
My daughter’s hands were laced around my neck in fear, refusing to look at the “scary” clown. Towards the end of the show, after hearing our laughter in seeing the clowns stumbling out of the clown car, she decided to trust us and peek. To her amazement her fear had lied to her. “That’s not scary!” she laughed.
We can learn a lot from challenging our fears and negative internal narratives that defy the very nature and presence of the Almighty.
Written by Kori, Life in Messiah staff
1) What are you fearing that you need to place in the Lord’s hands?
2) Have you identified the source of that fear? (See 2 Timothy 1:7)
3) Who in your life needs help overcoming a fear? How would God have you help them?