The next time you find yourself afraid, I hope you will remember the loving nature of God and that He cares deeply about your fears. He desires a close and intimate relationship with you, and that means coming to Him with all of your worries, without shame.
My favorite movie growing up was The Wizard of Oz. Predictably, I loved Dorothy and wanted to be just like her. But I also had a special place in my heart for the Cowardly Lion. Even at the ripe age of three, I was put off by the way the Lion was treated throughout the movie. Now, as an adult, I can look back and pinpoint exactly what it was that bothered me so much.
He was expected to be courageous simply because he was a lion.
I find the same concept to be true in Christian culture. The expectation is that just because someone is a Christian, he or she should live without fear. We see it all the time online. Someone shares about their personal crisis on social media, and so many people respond with tropes about hope and joy, paying no attention to a person’s struggle with anger and terror when life just doesn’t make sense.
And I get where that comes from. “Do not fear” is plastered all over Scripture.
But what is it God is truly calling us to when He dismisses fear among His believers?
Faith Over Fear
When I was pregnant with our second daughter, we found out she would be born with a laundry list of severe heart defects and require multiple open-heart surgeries before her first birthday in order for her to survive.
During the rest of my pregnancy and the first few months of her life, I was inundated with variations of the same sentiment:
“You have such strong faith. Just keep praying. God will bring her through.”
“Just trust God. She will be fine.”
“God’s in this. Don’t worry.”
The wording varied, but the claim was always the same: because I was a Christian and believed in God, I should not be afraid of what was going to happen to my daughter.
This was an emotionally and spiritually confusing message to receive when my world was crashing down around me.
Not only was I trying to reconcile why this was happening to our family,; but I was also hearing from my fellow Christians that I wasn’t allowed space to feel the deeply seated fear that I couldn’t deny was inside of me. This led to unbearable shame. I felt so guilty for being scared that I stopped sharing my feelings with those around me. I began to self-isolate. I even hesitated to pray because of how ashamed I was.
The Other Times
Unfortunately, this has become one of the secular world’s biggest criticisms of Christianity. And to be honest, I can see why. There can be a fine line between spiritual encouragement and toxic positivity. If we aren’t careful with our words, and most importantly the Word of God, we can easily (and unintentionally) misrepresent God’s message regarding fear.
There are times when we may feel strong enough to laugh in the face of danger, and our confidence in God may be so great that fear is minimal.
Sometimes we can be young David, brandishing our slingshot at Goliath’s skull, almost amused at his audacity to try and bring us down (1 Samuel 17).
But other times…
Other times, we might not have the strength and confidence it takes to rid ourselves of our fear.
Other times, we might be older David running from Saul, hiding in dark and dank caves, terrified at the possible outcomes of a confrontation (1 Samuel 21).
It took a lot of time, much studying of the Scriptures, and talking to God. But by His grace, I was able to overcome the hurtful words of those around me and come to a conclusion I received directly from Him:
The presence of fear does not indicate an absence of faith.
Fear of the Faithful
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Hebrews 11. If you haven’t read it, or if it’s been a minute, I encourage you to take a few moments and read the chapter in its entirety.
In it, Paul recounts some of the most notable characters within the Bible, from Abraham, to Moses, to David, and many more. As the “Heroes of Faith” nickname of the chapter suggests, we are told of the incredible accomplishments each person’s faith allowed them to achieve through God. But that isn’t all Paul says.
He also accounts for the pain and suffering they went through: “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:36-38, ESV).
Paul uses the words “by faith” over and over to teach us how it was these people overcame their extreme adversity. Because that is exactly what faith does for us.
Faith does not necessarily negate fear; it gives us power over it.
Faith Despite Fear
And that is what Christian courage truly is: enduring your deepest and darkest suffering while knowing that God never leaves your side.
So when God tells me in His word not to fear, I know He is not scolding me for the way I feel. He is speaking to me as His child, much like I do when one of my children has a nightmare.
I tell them, as their mother, not to be afraid—not because what they have experienced isn’t scary, but because I want to reassure them that I am there with them through the fear, and I want them to find comfort in my presence.
“Do not fear” is not the roar of the Lion, but the lullaby of the Lamb.
The Next Time
My second daughter passed away from complications of her second open-heart surgery. If I could go back and speak to my pregnant self, I would tell her that her God, her Father, would never expect her to NOT be afraid of losing her baby.
I would tell her that God was feeling the sorrow of suffering along with her and collecting all of her tears (Psalm 56:8).
I would tell her that while those around her made her feel like a coward, she was actually doing the bravest thing one could do: believing in the power of the living God, despite the terrifying reality of her circumstances.
The next time you find yourself afraid, I hope you remember that we don’t do each other any favors when we dismiss our fear, especially in the comments section.
Instead, we hold onto the loving nature of God and the truth that He cares deeply about your fears. He desires a close and intimate relationship with you, and that means coming to Him with all of your worries, without shame. He will never make you feel guilty for being scared, and anyone or anything that does not come from Him.
Your Dad is always awake, ready to hear of your nightmares, and ready to remind you of His constant presence.
