Calming Fears

If we were honest with ourselves, we would admit that we are all afraid of something.
Often the fears we have as a child are not the same fears we have as adults.
Sometimes they are.

Fear of thunderstorms or the dark may carry over into our adult life.
Fears of monsters under your bed brings a chuckle more than a wince.
Fears are real and need to be acknowledged.

Lightning hit our lamppost and blew out the switch plate next to the front door.
I was just a little girl and I was afraid of lightning for many years after that.
Horrible lightning storms with crashing thunder were difficult for me growing up.

It took years to put that incident into perspective.
I was sitting near the switch plate when it happened.
It took time to put that fear in its proper place.

Another fear I had as a little girl, that was a bit strange, was a fear of fans.
My grandmother had an old row house in the city.
There was a back room at the top of the stairs.

The door to that room was always closed since she used it for storage.
One day, my grandmother asked to go to that room to get something that was on the bed.
It was an adventure to climb the stairs and open the door that was always closed.

A swoosh of air caught my breath as I opened it.
There before me, in a back window that overlooked an alley was a huge fan.
It was turned on, probably to circulate the air in the room.

It was loud and powerful and caught me by surprise.
Its large blades were spinning at a rapid speed.
I closed the door and ran down the stairs.

My grandmother looked at my face and knew something was wrong.
I ran to her and hugged her, my face buried deep against the folds of her apron.
What’s wrong, honey? she asked with her large arms around me.

It was so loud and scary.
What was, sweetheart?
The fan, I said as I burst into tears.

She went upstairs herself and got what she needed.
I never went into that room again as a little girl.
I always looked at the closed door cautiously, listening for the sound of the fan.

The fan had been there all along, but I wasn’t aware of it.
The lightning happened suddenly when I least expected it.
Two fears, under different circumstances, but fears nonetheless.

It is said that there are over 365 “Fear Nots” in the Bible.
That is one verse for every day, including leap year.
One verse for every day to remind us to have NO FEAR.

Easier said than done, even when you have faith.
Easier when the fear is handed over to the One who dispels fear.
The fact is, the fear has to be handed over.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging…Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress…Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:1-3,6,7,10,11)

Be still and know that I am God.
This is the antidote to all fear.

Your worst fear is no match for our Sovereign God.
Run to Him; bury your face deep against Him.
His everlasting arms are wrapped lovingly around you.

The enemy would love nothing more than to keep us in a state of constant fear.

When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (Psalm 56:3,4)

When my youngest daughter was little and had a bad dream, she ran to me.
Sometimes little children have a hard time expressing their fears.
I would ask her to draw them; ask her to draw her scary dream.

I had a large roll of butcher paper and I would tear off a sheet.
She would take her crayons and draw what made her afraid.
When she finished, she would show me her picture.

She could point to all the things that frightened her.
After she told me all about it, we would tear up the drawing.
She would go over and throw the scary dream away.

That simple action was so important to her.
The dream was gone, thrown in the trash, ready for the trash man to take it away.
She would run off to play; her fear abated.

God does the same thing with our fears.
We are the little children with grown-up fears.
Whether we draw our fears or not, we need to tell Him about them.

We need to point to all the scary things, all the uncertain things, and tell Him everything.
He knows them already.
He needs to hear us tell Him; we need to tell Him.

His everlasting arms will envelop us.
He will throw the fear away, far away.
He will remind us, Do not be afraid.

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know; REALLY know.
Do not be afraid.