Category Archives: Be Not Afraid

New Year Reflections I—Live Expectantly

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The New Year is a natural time to reflect on the past year and consider how we want to live in 2013. Wouldn’t it be great to live in such a way that we don’t fear the future or regret the past?

Fear of the future comes from forgetting God, from imagining the “what ifs” and envisioning worst-case scenarios. Instead of expecting the worst, though, we should put our trust in God to provide for us no matter what happens. “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’” (Romans 8:15, The Message).

My friend Kristy recently told our Toastmasters chapter how she developed an “adventurously expectant” outlook. She spent a month praying the prayer of Jabez, asking God to enlarge her territory (1 Chronicles 4:10). As she prayed, she sensed God telling her to focus on the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). At the same time she became interested in making bracelets. First she made one with the word, “Love.” Shortly after she finished it she encountered a woman who needed a listening ear. At the end of their conversation, Kristy hugged her and gave her the “Love” bracelet. As she made a bracelet for each fruit in turn, the Lord brought someone to her who needed that particular virtue. Last she made a bracelet bearing the word “self-control.” She wondered if anyone would appreciate it; the Lord showed her that she should keep that one. She felt blessed.

We can learn to live as Kristy has—prayerfully asking God to make himself known to other people through us. We can awaken each morning thankful for the gift of a new day and eager for new challenges, watching to see how and where God will show up. Jesus said, “…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness …” (Matthew 6:33). As we focus on seeking God’s kingdom, our fear of the future will disappear, replaced by eager expectation.

Fear Withstood

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I met Grace Fabian last summer at a writers’ conference and then read her book, Outrageous Grace. She and her husband, Edmund, were missionary translators in Papua New Guinea from 1969 until his death in 1993. He was murdered while translating the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, into the Nabak language.

After his death, Grace wondered whether she should play it safe and abandon the translation project. Remaining in the village was dangerous—her house was vandalized and trees in the yard were cut down or set on fire. She received eleven eviction notices over the course of a year. In the midst of this turmoil and uncertainty, she came to the scheduled Bible reading for the day—2 Kings 6.

This chapter tells the story of the king of Aram (present-day Syria). His raids in Israel proved fruitless because his troops’ movements were revealed to the Israelites by the prophet Elisha. So the king sent soldiers to seize Elisha. The next morning Elisha’s servant went out and saw an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. He asked Elisha,

“What shall we do?” He replied, “Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them.” Then Elisha prayed: “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:15-17.)

As Grace read this account, she realized that God was speaking directly to her. Whenever fear accosted her, she prayed, “Open my eyes, Lord. Let me see your horses and chariots of fire.” Though she didn’t see horses and chariots, she found the courage to face an angry mob—she went outside and served them coffee and cookies. When three hooded thugs wielding machetes broke into her house, she found the strength to pick up a chair and defend herself. One man slashed at the chair, but when she stood her ground, all three backed out the door.

Grace faced real dangers, but she chose faith over fear. She wrote, “I determined, with angels and horses of fire on my side, that my choices would grow out of a place of power, not fear and insecurity. Two powerful truths would be my guiding lights: the power of the presence of a sovereign, omnipotent God [and] the power of the promises in His inerrant Word.” Whenever we become fearful, we can lean on those same two pillars: God’s presence and God’s promises.

Unmask Lies—Let Truth Set You Free

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I was flying a few weeks ago when the plane encountered some turbulence. I felt the usual terror rising within me. Instead of surrendering to it, I took a deep breath. Then I examined the automatic negative thoughts which caused my anxiety.

  • I can’t tolerate the turbulence.
  • Turbulence means the plane will crash.

I recognized those thoughts as lies and contradicted them:

  • I can tolerate the turbulence. It won’t last forever.
  • Turbulence does not automatically mean the plane will crash.

My panic subsided, simply because I recognized the lies I had believed and replaced them with the truth.

I explained this concept to a friend who is also afraid of flying. “What lie do you believe when you’re flying?” I asked him. “I am not in control,” he said.  His problem was different than mine. He didn’t believe a lie, but he focused on only part of the truth. The greater truth he can affirm is that God is in control. Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29, 31).

Jesus tells us not to be afraid. Why? Because nothing—not flight delays, mechanical difficulties, or turbulence—can separate us from God’s love. (See Romans 8:38-39.) Whatever happens, we need not panic. We are safe in the arms of God.

Watch out for ANTs

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“Would you be willing to drive me to Newark?” my son asked. “No, I can’t,” I wanted to say. I’m afraid of driving on unfamiliar highways in busy metropolitan areas. He pointed out that the Newark airport wasn’t much farther than the New Jersey Transit station in Middletown, NY, where I had planned to drop him so he could catch a train to Secaucus, then transfer to a train to Newark. Driving to Newark would save him several hours and the uncertainty of making connections in Secaucas.

Lately I’ve been on the lookout for ANTs—Automatic Negative Thoughts. I recognized the “I can’t” thought as an ANT. So I asked myself if it was true. Would I let fear keep me from driving to Newark? A verse from the Bible, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV) helped me answer the question.

That’s how I came to be at the Newark airport. My son drove there from Binghamton, NY, while I read directions from Google maps. Unfortunately we hadn’t thought to print the reverse directions and I didn’t have a GPS. As I slipped behind the wheel for the return trip, I prayed for help. After paying for parking, I followed another car onto the maze of roads surrounding the Newark airport. One minute I was following the signs for 78 west; the next minute the road forked and I went left. The signs now read “Holland Tunnel.” I had the sinking feeling that I was headed east, not west.

I prayed for God’s guidance and continued driving. I began following signs for the New Jersey Turnpike and soon came to a sign for 78 west. Once I was headed towards home, I thanked God for his care and guidance. I spent the rest of the trip listening to worship music, aware of God’s nearness. That evening I read these words:

I love the Lord,
because he listens to my prayers for help.
He paid attention to me,
so I will call to him for help as long as I live.

                                           Psalm 116:1-2 NCV

This passage reaffirmed that fear does not have the last word, in travel or in life, as long as I put my faith and trust in God.

 

What do you fear?

Will you call to God for help?

Death is Swallowed Up in Victory

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I was disappointed when I shopped for Easter cards. Sure, there were plenty of cute cards with Easter eggs, bunny rabbits, or spring flowers, but I was looking for something else. Even the cards marked “religious” missed the mark. They had clever rhymes asking God to bless the recipient, but never mentioned the reason Christians celebrate Easter. It’s as though Hallmark developed Easter amnesia.

Why do we celebrate Easter? As you probably know, Jesus of Nazareth was condemned to die. He was beaten, mocked, and stripped naked before being nailed to a cross and left to suffocate. He died on a Friday afternoon, about the time lambs were slaughtered for the Jewish festival of Passover. Joseph of Arimathea took his body down from the cross, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb.

Women taking spices to the tomb early Sunday morning found Jesus’ body was gone. Angels appeared and said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” The women told Jesus’ followers, but they were incredulous. Peter, impulsive as usual, raced to the tomb, entered, and found only the grave clothes. Later Jesus showed himself, alive and well, first to the twelve disciples, then to many others. Death could not hold him.

Because Jesus died as our Passover lamb, he took away our sins and the punishment for sin—death and eternal separation from God. Because Jesus lives, death cannot hold us either.  He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live….” He didn’t set us free only from death, but also from the fear of death: “By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.”

Because we do not need to be “scared to death of death,”

  • We do not need to fear illness.
  • We do not need to fear accidents.
  • We do not need to fear terrorist attacks.

Jesus conquered death and the grave, giving us the courage to conquer our fears.

Christ has risen! Alleluia!

 

 

 

Angelic encouragement

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“You’re going to have a baby!” the exuberant four-year-old playing the angel Gabriel said, flapping his wings. The three-year-old playing Mary remained silent, despite our prompting her to say, “I will do whatever God wants.” The children were acting out the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) in the preschool Sunday school class I team teach. They grasped the basic story, but Luke includes two additional details that stand out in my mind.

Before Gabriel tells Mary she will have a son and name him Jesus, he says, “Do not be afraid.” That refrain echoes through the Bible from beginning to end. God knows we are often fearful, so he tells us repeatedly, “Do not be afraid.” Mary didn’t need to fear, the angel explained, because she had found favor with God. We don’t need to fear, either, because we have also found favor with God through Jesus’ death on the cross.

When Mary asks how she will have a baby since she’s a virgin, Gabriel tells her “nothing is impossible with God.” Isn’t that encouraging? A virgin birth? Not too hard for God. Finding a job for those who are unemployed? Not too hard for God. Finding a place to live for those who are facing foreclosure? Not too hard for God. The message of the Annunciation is that we don’t need to fear because nothing is impossible with God. He can provide the courage we need for the challenges we face.

Next time you’re struggling with fear and uncertainty, remember Gabriel’s words: “Do not be afraid.” When you face a situation that seems hopeless, remember his promise: “Nothing is impossible with God.” Cry out to God in prayer and wait patiently to see what he will do.

 

Face Your Fear

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I’ve overcome my fear of flying. How? Drum roll, please…. I’ve been flying. A lot. In the last nine months, I’ve boarded twenty-five planes. What had been frightening has become routine. I take off my coat and shoes at security, remove liquids and laptop, and then reclaim them all after passing through the metal detector or full-body scanner. On the plane, the sensations of acceleration or deceleration and the noises that accompany takeoff and landing have become familiar. I’ve come to realize that turbulence doesn’t last and doesn’t mean the plane is going to crash.

This process is called habituation. If you expose yourself frequently to an anxiety-provoking stimulus, the response (fear, anxiety or panic) gradually decreases. In other words, your comfort level will increase each time you fly.

If you can’t imagine yourself boarding a plane, let me explain how I found the courage to fly. It came from prayers—my own and those of my friends. We prayed for “traveling mercies”—good weather, no missed connections, no lost luggage—and most importantly peace of mind. It came also from meditating on Scriptures like Isaiah 41:10: “So 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.”

Are you still unconvinced? Look no further than the story of David facing the nine-foot giant, Goliath. While the soldiers in the Israelite army were terrified by Goliath, David had the courage to fight him. What weapons did he use? A slingshot, five smooth stones and the confidence that God was on his side. These were sufficient. David killed Goliath. Likewise, with God’s help you can slay the giant of fear. Face your fear, trusting God to provide the courage you need.