Fearfulness to Fearlessness

I'll be honest from the front. The idea for this post didn't originate with me. In fact, this is what my friend Charlie is teaching about to his youth group tomorrow. I don't think many kids from his church read my blog though, so we should be safe.

When you were little, there were a number of things you were probably afraid of. We all have fears of some sort. For me, there were a lot of things. Dogs. The dark. Being kidnapped. Storms. Spiders, bees, and other creepy-crawlies. I was a pretty nervous kid. I couldn't handle horror movies, and still refuse to watch them today.

Now as a pseudo-adult, I have gotten over some of those childhood fears, but now a new crop of fears has taken their place. I still have a number of fears: The unknown future. Becoming a schizophrenic when I'm older. Women.

Tomorrow Charlie will be teaching how, when we come into contact with Jesus, our fearfulness gives way to fearlessness. And when I look at what the Bible has to say on the topic, it certainly seems like that's how it should be. Scripture repeatedly tells us that we don't need to be afraid because we have God on our side. In story after story, someone is told to not be afraid. Here's a few examples:

Hagar is told not to be afraid after being sent away from Abraham and his family (Gen. 21:17)

Moses tells the Israelites not to be afraid when they're sandwiched between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army (Exod. 14:13)

God tells Joshua not to be afraid when he takes of the leadership of Israel after the death of Moses (Josh. 1:9) 

Saul's son Jonathan tells David not to be afraid of Saul, knowing that God will make David the next king (1 Sam. 23:17)

Elisha tells his servant not to be afraid of the surrounding armies because "those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (2 Kgs. 6:16)

Nehemiah tells the Jerusalemites not to be afraid of their enemies and to remember the Lord (Neh. 4:14)

Jesus tells the Twelve not to be afraid of those who kill the body, and also not to be afraid, since they are worth more than sparrows, which God cares for (Mt. 10:26-31)

Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid when they see him walking on water (Mk. 6:50)

Gabriel reassured Mary by saying "Do not be afraid" (Lk. 1:30)

God speaks to Paul: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you" (Acts 18:9-10)

The church at Smyrna is told not to be afraid of suffering because they would be given a victor's crown (Rev. 2:10)

All of this is just a small sampling of times when people in the Bible are told to let go of their fear. It happens all over the place. God's people are afraid, but he reassures them and pulls them toward fearlessness because of his presence and work in their lives.

When I was a kid and was faced with a frightening situation, there was one thing that would alleviate my fear--when my dad was around. My dad is a pretty big guy, so when he was near, I knew I had nothing to fear. He wouldn't let a dog maul me. He wouldn't let a stranger snatch me up and stuff me in their trunk. He had my back.

The Bible calls God our Father. That metaphor has a number of layers to it, but I think one truth it communicates is that we don't need to be afraid of anything. A father looks out for his children. So whatever our fears might be--lack of money, relational failure, future plans, telling others about Christ--God is with us. He's our perfect Father, with perfect love and perfect power, and he can take care of our problematic situations. We can remember the words that God spoke to Joshua: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."