Dispelling Fear

When I was about 8 years old, I went to a Halloween party about one block from home. At the party they told “ghost” stories. The party was over about 8:30. I had to walk home alone. I began to see something behind every tree. At the corner of every house I just knew there was something, maybe a monster, waiting to grab me. I began to run because of the fear. I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me. When I got home I jumped up on the porch screaming and crying. I banged on the door, yelling, “Let me in, LET ME IN!” When my mother came to the door and let me in, the fear was gone. Even though there was nothing to be afraid of, my fear was real.

Someone has made a list of ways you can tell if you are going to have a rotten day: (Just to list a few)

• You see a 60 minutes news team waiting outside your office.
• Your boss tells you not to take off your coat.
• You put both contact lenses in the same eye.
• You call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold.
• The bird singing outside your window is a buzzard.

There are times when it seems like our world is crashing down on us, if anything can go wrong it will. Fear often takes hold of us. Fear traps us into believing that nothing will ever improve. Someone has said, “When life gets us down, fear fills the void. Fear is not the domain of the timid, but swells over all of us no matter how brave we may appear to be.”

It is told that Stalin was constantly in fear of being poisoned or killed. He had 8 bedrooms which could be locked up like safes in a bank. Nobody ever knew in which of these bedrooms he slept on any given night.

God has the answer to the problem of fear:

“The Lord is my Light and my salvation----whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Stronghold of my life----of whom (what) shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

King David, who penned these words, knew the meaning of fear better than most. He endured one vicious attack on his life after another. For years he was the number one fugitive in Israel, always hiding from the wrath of King Saul. Later on he was threatened by the revolt of his son Absalom.

Yet, David had calm in the midst of his darkest hours. David knew that the Lord’s presence was the Light which chases away the shadows of fear. It is in the darkness that our fears take on the horrible shapes of monsters. This is true whether we are 8 or 80. When we live in darkness our fears become all the more fearsome.

When we are trusting in God’s Presence, as David did, knowing that He is Sovereign, and in control, we then realize it is He Who is the Light that can brighten every dark corner of our life. Then we can cease being intimidated and frightened. Fear must be expelled by the Light of the Scripture. Christ Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

Reflections:

• In what areas of my life am I overwhelmed with fear?
• Am I trying to conquer these on my own?