“Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there.” These words were penned by an unknown author. They capture a powerful reality about many of our fears.
All of us know the torment of fear at one time or another. A mysterious pain in your body can cause you to fear the worse, for example. Just waiting for an appointment with the doctor two days away can be nerve-wrecking because you don’t know what’s going on. The pain may be nothing, but it may signal something serious. Human tendency is to fear the worse. This is the torment of fear.
One reason fear abounds is because we live in a world filled with things that threaten our very survival, our quality of life, or our physical well-being. Many of these threats are bigger and mightier than we are. No level of precaution can totally safeguard us from them.
As Christians, we are called to live our lives by faith in God. Genuine faith in Him frees us from the torment of fear. He is greater than any of the things that have the power to trouble us. And He promises to never leave nor forsake us.
Choosing Faith over the Torment of Fear
One day while Jesus and the disciples were on a ship, a killer storm came. The ship became filled with water and was about to sink. Through all of this, Jesus was fast asleep on the ship! In panic, the disciples woke up Him. And these are the words He said to them: “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40, NIV).
Based on Jesus’ rebuke, the evidence that the disciples lacked faith is that they feared the worse—even though He was with them. The same is true about us. The more deeply-rooted our faith in God becomes, the less fear can and will torment us. The less we will expect the worst of outcomes. And the more confidently we will be that God can and will make all things work together for our good.
Reading and hearing the Word of God regularly are essential to promoting faith over fear in our life. For faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
Fear in and of itself is not a bad thing. It is a human emotion given to us by God. In many ways, fear is a good thing. But a big difference exists between a healthy fear and being tormented by fear. So, what is it in your life that torments you with fear? God is calling you to confront this enemy of your soul with boldness of faith in Him.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.