Fear Doesn’t Stand a Chance
Psalm 34:4: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (ESV)
“All my fears?” I thought believers weren’t supposed to have fear. Shouldn’t David have said, “I repent for all my fearfulness”? What are we supposed to do with fear? Should we pretend we don’t have any? Should we keep repenting, even though we still experience fear? How does God feel about my fear? How can I overcome all my fears?
The Bible is clear about fear’s negative effects. Fear can keep you from faith and from attempting what God has called you to do. Fear can keep you from seeing the breakthrough that trust in God brings. Fear can also be fear of the future or possible outcomes. Then there is free-floating fear (strange, unsettling fear of something you can’t identify) or existential dread: The feeling that something, somewhere, has or is going wrong, but you can’t put your finger on it.
King David sought the Lord in Psalm 34 because he admitted he struggled with multiple fears. In Psalm 31:13, David says he saw “terrors on every side.” David could walk through the valley of the shadow of death, had a heart after God, and was again delivered from evil; still, he is talking about “all my fears.” He is not boasting about his fears or surrendering to his many fears, but he is admitting the reality of having fears. What does David do about fear? How can fear turn into faith and terror turn into trust? Psalm 34:4 gives us clear steps to victory!
Admit Your Fears
King David had several things that were causing fear. His struggles with fear make him relatable, showing that even the most faithful can experience fear. It didn’t mean he was no longer a man after God’s own heart or in rebellion, it was simply the truth. He had defeated bears, lions, and a giant, yet now he was worried and anxious, and he was up in the middle of the night with concerns troubling his heart.
The Bible tells us not to fear, yet it understands that we will have to battle it. That is why it mentions fear hundreds of times. The Bible tells us not to fear because it knows our propensity toward fear. Jesus does not leave us in our fears but gives us grace to overcome them. And not all fear is bad. I started to walk out into the street when I saw a car plowing down the road toward me. My body jumped back, my heart was racing, and my eyes were popping. Fear had taken its natural and valuable course.
Fear is a God-given emotion. I walk more carefully in a dark room, fearing I might trip. I feel some fear before preaching. It doesn’t mean I’m sinning; it means I care about what I’m about to do. I want to please God and bless others. That fear is healthy. The fear that is sinful is the fear that immobilizes us and causes us to disobey God. My little bit of fear before going up to speak is healthy. If I refuse to go up and share what God has put on my heart, I’m sinning.
Can fear ever be good? Or at least a sign of something good to come? God would never have had to say “fear not” or “do not fear” hundreds of times if his people had never engaged in something that could cause fear.
Fear as a Sign
God often told his warriors and deliverers to “fear not” because they were willing to risk doing something dangerous. He would not have had to say “fear not” if they weren’t doing something fearful. Being afraid is not cowardice; it’s a natural human response to the unknown. It’s a sign that you’re willing to risk, to step out of your comfort zone, and to strive for something greater. Fear must never keep us from faith, from believing God, and from acting.
Fear and Worthwhile Risk
Fear can often be avoided. Don’t try to do anything significant, anything that might stretch or challenge you, and you won’t have to be afraid. The way to live without fear is to live safe, comfortable, unchallenged, unmoved by the world’s needs, and unwilling to do any more than required.
God told Moses not to fear because he was attempting something scary. If he had stayed a shepherd, he wouldn’t have anything to fear. His stepping out into what is fearful showed he had faith. How likely would it be for Moses to have a few “butterflies” in his stomach? Would it be sinful fear if his heart rate increased and he had to take a deep breath before going before Pharaoh? God gave Moses and others a word and his presence to help them move ahead, even when they might be fighting off some lingering fears.
We will not fight our battles until we fight our fear. We will not fight with our fear if we never fight. If we never fight, we may not be afraid, but we will not have victory.
Fear Shows You Care
I was afraid to ask Kelly (my wife) on a date when I first met her. That fear could have kept me from having the courage to approach her. But that fear also revealed that asking her out was deeply important to me. I wouldn’t have had any fear if I didn’t care about her or whether she’d be interested. People live without fear, not because they are fearless but because they avoid any ambitious attempt, hiding from engaging in anything challenging.
If you’re feeling fear, that doesn’t mean you don’t have faith. Attempting something great for God will likely cause you some fear. However, God’s presence will come to you and speak to you (“fear not”) and his presence and Word will give you the courage to go ahead and engage in what he has called you to do.
Seek the Lord
Don’t wallow in guilt and shame when you face real fears. Instead, seek the Lord as soon as fears arise. Seek the Lord over every fear you face, whether small or big, simple or complex, minor or life-threatening.
Sadly, we often seek our own counsel before we seek the Lord. We see our problem and realize it arouses fear. So, we set off to solve our own problems. We try to think our way out of the crisis. We are making plans before we’ve made our prayers. We plan how we are going to work our way out of this fearful situation without seeking the only one who can deliver us. Oswald Chambers said, “Beware of having plans in your prayers.” We increase our fears by attempting to escape them in our own power, by our own plans that misfire, leaving us with a double portion of fear.
I know many Christians who turn to Google for answers before they turn to God. I know many who seek worldly advice before they seek God’s guidance. I’ve seen countless individuals make a dozen phone calls to ask for counsel before they offer even a single prayer to the Lord. Misplaced seeking causes fears to grow, faith to weaken, purpose to falter, and victories to be delayed.
How sad we think seeking the Lord is too simple an answer. Maybe AI, therapy, or money can solve our problem? If these things were the answer, we would have been free of fear a thousand times over. Yet, our generation is more fearful and anxious than ever. But the true healer of our fears is only a prayer away.
Free-floating anxiety is when you feel strangely afraid, even though there is nothing you can point to causing the fear. This is from the enemy. When his evil plans are thwarted, he tries to keep us from rejoicing in our deliverance by introducing a fear of something that doesn’t even exist. We overcome this existential dread by seeking the Lord. God’s peace is greater than Satan’s fears. Remember God’s perfect plans, presence, and protection. What the enemy intends for evil, God intends for good.
Recently I awoke at 3:30 a.m., troubled by a situation one of my children was facing. I spent almost 30 minutes trying to figure out a solution. I don’t have the wisdom or the power to bring about a remedy. So, I called on the Lord. Tremendous peace flooded my soul. I could almost see Jesus smiling gently at me, saying, “I’ve got this. I know exactly what to do; you do not need to worry. You will see the amazing and glorious outcome of what I will do.” Simple trust drowned out my fear.
Move from self to seeking the Lord, from seeking the solution in yourself to seeking the solution provider, Jesus. Fear is going to come, you can count on it. But when we get our eyes off the fearful situation, our eyes off our own solutions, and put our eyes on Jesus, the victory is already taking place. Sometimes God sets his answer in motion before we even finish praying (Daniel 10:12-13).
The Lord Answers and Delivers
The solution will come when we finally realize the answer is in the Lord, not us. When we are finally exhausted by all our human efforts, then we will see that it is the Lord who answers and delivers.
If you’re tired of being fearful, if your heart is constantly troubled, if your problems are so persistent that you feel like giving up, the way of escape is coming to the end of yourself. It is then that the Lord takes over. God waits to show us that our trust is more effective than our trying, and it reveals to us his power and goodness.
Turning to God turns our fearful hearts into faithful hearts that look to the one who can answer. The very things that cause fear in our hearts and minds then become the very things that teach us to pray, seek, and trust in God. The Lord doesn’t just heal our fear, he allows it to draw us to him.
Years ago, I was in Brazil, speaking at a conference. A few miles away were some of the most dangerous ghettos, run by drug lords and gangs. Even the police wouldn’t go there. I asked the conference director if I could go into the ghettos. He began to cry. No one had ever asked him to see these areas. He had a burden and had been praying specifically for one of them. The next day we arrived at the entrance to the ghetto, blocked by several young men holding guns. I began to feel fearful, yet I trusted God. We were allowed in, talked with gang members, and shared Christ.
Later, I was not afraid, but had a boldness that only the Holy Spirit can provide. Naturally, I would have been filled with fear, but with God, I was filled with love, power, and a sound mind that God would allow World Challenge to later open a school and a medical clinic in the area. God removed my fear, which opened the door to love, the power to do what seemed impossible, and a sound mind to glorify God. When we know that God answers and delivers, we can overcome our fear and move ahead in full faith.
How many times have I struggled with fear, while telling myself, “Why should I worry about this situation when I have seen God take care of every concern I’ve ever had? Why should I be afraid when I know he will respond and deliver, as he always has?” John Newton wrote: “If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear… Under his protection, though the path of duty should lie through fire and water, we may cheerfully and confidently pursue it.”
