Fear

Mark 6: 49-50 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."

We all have it. Fear grips us at times of doubt, at times of distress, at times of uncertainty, at times when we least expect it and at times when we find ourselves in the midst of the storm. Fear is part of life; we can’t escape it or ignore it. What we are called to do is face it.

This is easy to say but difficult to do. Fear has many forms to it that at times are overpowering. For instance, fear is disabling, forcing us into inactivity because of the unknown. We cower back because we don’t want to become exposed to the circumstances that face us. Fear causes us to postpone the very things we need to do in order to move forward, thereby causing us to miss the reality of being all we are called to be.

Fear steals our ability to think clearly and to act with decisive motions to achieve the goals set before us. Fear causes us to hide feelings and emotions and to miss out on the joy that can be found in relationships and life. Do you have fear? Of course you do. We all do. Do you know how many times that the words, “Fear Not,” appear in scripture? According to the movie "Facing the Giants," it is somewhere close to 365 times, one time for every day. In reality, however, there are over 100 references to this phrase contained in the Bible.

Why do you think God puts such a high priority on this idea? It is because God has a better plan. You see, most fear is generated in our unbelief of the power and presence of God in our lives. It’s easy to get caught up in fear tactics if we are unfounded in our belief that all things belong to God and that God is sovereign in all He says and does. It’s normal to believe the worst about circumstances if we don’t live in the reality that God is in control. If I did not live in the belief that God loves me and that God has a plan for my life, I would live in constant fear. As it is, I have fear enough to last the day.

So what does Jesus say? “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.” He said this to his followers who were in a boat in the midst of a storm at sea. But this message is also for us. In the midst of the storms of life, we have the promise of the presence and power of God, not to remove us from the storm but to walk with us in the midst of that storm.

Yes, life has fear, but God has all of life in His hands. Don’t be afraid; believe.

Blessings, Rip