Humans panic first and pray later. The enemy doesn’t even need to work that hard; a single evil thought and we’re halfway to despair.
Different versions yet express the same message. “Fear not.” “Don’t be afraid.” “Have no fear.” “Do not worry.” Multiple reminders, all pointing to the same truth that Christians can hold onto: We have authority over fear as God’s children. Jesus Himself said it directly: Do not fear—his way of telling us that we don’t need to carry our anxiety and fears alone. We nod along to the advice, sure… but rarely actually follow it. I guess it’s always been the case for most of us: it’s easy to believe the wise words… harder to actually live by them.
Christians Are Not Free from Worries.
Being human isn’t easy. Our brains could go off non-stop about things that could drag us down if we don’t tread lightly. And being a Christian does not in any way spare us from real-life struggles; fear still sets in, now and then, like the rainstorm that appears during the summer without much warning.
Like most Christians, my faith comes and goes. And in those times when I let fear sit heavy in the back of my head, I can’t help but feel the weight of guilt pressing down. “Where’s your faith?”, we’re asked. The thing is–it’s not that we don’t have faith. We do. As Christians, we know that God will always be there to bail us out, but we also know that our prayers can often be left hanging for months or years. And that’s when the worries crawl in, that’s when fear smacks us in the face.
God made me realize, during one of those quiet moments with Him, that sometimes faith isn’t the missing ingredient. We, as Christians, have faith. What we’re short on is the patience to wait, to quit trying to micro-manage every little snag or problem that tries to take us down.
We want to be in charge of every screw up, fixing everything according to our own timetable. However, the Christian life doesn’t work that way – hardly. I, for one, sometimes forget the lessons I swore not to forget, which is— the more we push for control, the longer the detours get.
So when I was asking God for more faith, He responded by making this sink in: to have the patience to wait and the humility to stop bossing Him around, loosen my grip, and let Him work on His own schedule.
Faith is easy to profess because we know that God will lend a hand. It's the waiting that’s a bit tricky, the patience to endure to get us through the waiting period.
Fear Loses Its Sting When You’re Knee-Deep In Prayer.
So I asked Him.”Oh, God, how long must I wait then?” How am I supposed to survive this waiting season when I have the patience of an ant? Then I remembered this verse in Scripture about the “tree planted by the waters” (Jeremiah 17:8). He made it clear to me that the only thing that could get me through was to be in His presence, like clockwork. And true enough, in times of spirit-draining fear, His presence is truly a balm to the soul. When we pray with the most sincere heart and make an effort to be rooted in His Word, there’s this miraculous intervention at play. You know that kind of peace that goes beyond what this world can understand. Only those who put their hope in the Lord get this.
On good days, when I allow God to enter the picture, all my fears, though they don’t totally disappear, will barely ruffle my calm. Some fears persist, though, I’m human after all, but they don’t sting like acid to open wounds when I sink fully into His presence.
Faith Vs Fear.
People of faith often say that fear and faith are cousins who never quite get along. The former counts the cracks while the latter sees the light that gets through them. Fear can rattle even the most devout Christians, but faith enables us to endure even when fear gets us by the throat. I can’t help but think of all God's servants in the past who suffered till the end, refusing to renounce their faith in God. The punishment varies: being stripped of their belongings, fed to lions, starved to death, or submerged in the muddy water of a cistern.
Faith in God doesn’t pretend that fear or trouble don’t exist, but it places this reality in a framework larger than ourselves. And what is true? God is with us. Isaiah 41:10 puts it plainly: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” We can definitely persevere because we are a people of God who run on hope, not drown in despair.
Let's remember that fear often tries to run sly arguments in our head: “Look at the evidence! This is impossible!” But we have a stronger case: God’s love and faithfulness. 1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love drives out fear.” If love is the evidence, fear is the false witness, trying to get you to mistrust the One whose track record is unparalleled.
Remember Peter walking on water? For a few steps, he nailed it. But fear shouted, “Sink! Sink!” and he relented, so he started to sink. However, if he had taken the effort to focus on Jesus, he would not have sunk. It’s a lesson I should take to heart: Let’s not forget that fear, when confronted with steadfast faith, often shrinks down so small that it can barely speak. In other words, fear and faith can’t really tango on equal footing. Faith may not deny fear’s existence, but it silences it.
And yet even when we do look down—when we sink, when we allow fear to get the best of us —God doesn’t just watch and scold. He reaches out, just as he did to Peter.
So even when our lives are scarred by fear of all sorts, we ought to remember who’s holding our hand. We can breathe, even when the things we fear most are still very much in our face– because God sees it all. He knows and understands our fears. That thought alone makes it possible for us to keep moving. Fear will still show up from time to time—but we shouldn’t sit with it for too long, otherwise, we’ll drift right into its spell. Fear only has power if you hand it over to yourself. I, of course, understand that the fear of being in such uncomfortable circumstances for however long God allows can be pretty discouraging.
In such cases, these are the things I put into practice to stay sane and grounded.
- Root ourselves in the Word
God’s Word has power. It clarifies the mind and gives courage when we need it.
- Being genuinely grateful
I recall someone saying that being grateful should be like devouring every tiny win and small delight that sneaks through our days with so much gusto. Because gratitude is rebellion against fear—it reminds us that something good is still happening.
- Reminding myself that God always has our best interests at heart.
- Our spiritual life only strengthens when tested.
If we are to mature in the faith, we must accept the fact that patient endurance is a part of the Christian life.
Lastly, because we love God, we are assured of this promise: “all things work together for good for those who love Him.” And if that is so, what’s left to fear when we know how things will end for us?
“I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4
Photo credit: ©Unsplash/ Shaun Frankland
