This
morning God’s word reminded me of the way that fear and faith relate to one
another in the life of the child of God. David wrote, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”[1]
What
this tells me is that there is a way that faith handles whatever fears we
experience. In other words, instead of telling ourselves that we should have
such faith that we do not feel fear, we should tell ourselves that faith is the
way that we handle whatever fears arise.
David’s
expression of, “when I am afraid,”
gives God’s children the invitation to admit that we also face such times.
There are things we go through that bring fear to the surface as the chief
characteristic of the moment. It is okay to admit that we have times “when I am afraid.”
On
the other hand, David sets the example of what to do during those times: “I put my trust in you.” I am very
thankful that David did not say, “instead of being afraid, I put my trust in
you.” He shows us that, even while there is something going on that causes us
to react with fear, we can, at the very same time, put our trust in God about
the things that are scaring or concerning us.
When
I consider why so many Christians respond to their fears with greater fear,
with self-dependent coping strategies, and various expressions of shutting down
to God and people, I believe the need is for help in knowing how faith can
bring our fears to God. There may be times when such abundance of fear simply
exposes our “little faith”, as Jesus affectionately
revealed to his disciples.[2] Other times this may express the wrong belief that someone of faith
will not have any fears. Whatever the case, we need David’s encouragement that
faith brings our fears to God.
I
see this in the way that a child has implicit faith in his dad, that dad will
handle all the things he is afraid of, and so he goes to dad every time he is
afraid. Having faith in Dad’s ability to handle his fears does not mean the
child never feels fears. It just means that he always runs to his dad with the
things that scare him.
In
the same way, our faith in Jesus Christ does not remove scary things from our
lives. Rather, it gives us all the reason we need to believe that we can run to
God with every kind of fear, worry, concern, or apprehension we feel. We can
come with confidence to the throne of grace knowing we will receive grace and
mercy for our time of need,[3] even when the need is a comfort to our fears. We can cast all our
anxieties on him, because he cares for us.[4]
Instead
of thinking that God’s children should have a faith that leaves no room for
fear, let’s consider that we really need to have a faith that our Father in
heaven can handle every fear that rises within our hearts. The more we grow in
such a faith, the more quickly we will run to God with our fears, and find his
help leading us to know him in a constantly growing faith.
After
David tells us that when he was afraid he would trust in God, he adds this: “In
God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh
do to me?”[5] It seems like a very gracious and hopeful progression. When David
was afraid, he would trust in God. When David would trust in God, he would no
longer be afraid. That’s the way it works. When a child feels afraid, he runs
to his Father in faith. As he experiences his Father’s handling of his fears, he
finds that he is no longer afraid.
The
application for me is simple: whenever, and for however long I am afraid, I will
keep trusting my heavenly Father with all my fears, knowing that he will still
the fear-storms within my soul and bring me to his place of “Peace! Be still!” As I do this, I fully
expect the same result as the disciples witnessed in their stormy crossing of
the lake: “And the wind ceased, and there
was a great calm.”[6]
From
my heart,
Monte
© 2013 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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