Fear Not!

These words are recorded in the Bible many times in numerous forms, including “do not be afraid,” “do not be dismayed,” “do not let your heart be troubled,” “do not tremble,” and others. In an overwhelming majority of these instances, it was God who was speaking these words to His people. Here are a few examples: Genesis 26:24, Exodus 14:13, Numbers 1:21, Deuteronomy 20:L1, Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:20, Luke 8:50, and Acts 27:24.

Over the course of our lives, we all face various situations in which we are afraid. But it often does not occur to us that in the midst of those situations God’s word to us is till, “Fear not!” Nor do we often consider that this statement is a command! A brief look at fear, however, will cause us to consider this a little more seriously.

Fear, by definition, is “anticipation or awareness of danger, or concern or apprehension over an unwanted situation.” Fear is by nature a condition that focuses on the future. By that, I mean, we do not fear what has happened, but what will happen. This truth is shockingly profound, because it shows that fear, in essence, is actually faith. When we allow ourselves to fall into fear, it is because we believe that a situation not yet seen will manifest. In Hebrews 11:1, The Bible defines faith as the assurance of things expected but not yet seen. In the same way, fear is the assurance that something bad that could happen will happen.

A classic example of this in Luke 8:22-25. The disciples and Jesus set sail on the sea of Galilee. He falls asleep and a storm descends upon the lake. In great fear, they awake Him and say, “We are going to die!” Notice that they didn’t say, “We might die.” They were sure they were going to die, even though it obviously hadn’t happened. Jesus then asks them, “Where is your faith?” The correct answer to this question would have been, “In the storm!” Their fear was actually their faith in the storm’s ability to kill them!

This is why the issue of fear is so important. Whether we realize it or not, fear is a choice we make; it is the choice put our faith in some potential evil or undesirable situation above our faith in God. And whether we realize it or not, this is idolatry, for we are actually putting our faith in some evil or harmful situation above our faith in God's power and willingness to deliver us from that situation. In support of this truth, we find numerous verses in the Bible in which we are admonished to “fear God” and not anyone or thing else. (Psalms 86:11, 96:9 115:3, 119:24, Proverbs 14:27, Ecclesiastes 8:2, Isaiah 8:12-13, 51:12-13 Jeremiah 2:19, 5:22, Malachi 2:5, Matthew 10:28)

To fear God is really to believe in Him and His power. Because fear and faith are in essence the same force being used in opposite directions, there are a number of similarities in the way they both function. In examining some of these similar traits we can learn a lot about one of the most effective weapons the kingdom of darkness has ever used against us. We can also learn how to use this weapon to our advantage, in the form of faith, as we seek to obey God's command to “fear not!”