December 9, 2004

Afraid To Be Afraid

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. —Psalm 56:3

A young woman was waiting for a bus in a crime-ridden area when a rookie policeman approached her and asked, "Do you want me to wait with you?" "That's not necessary," she replied. "I'm not afraid." "Well, I am," he grinned. "Would you mind waiting with me?"

Like that policeman, we as Christians must be willing to admit that sometimes we become fearful—about dying, about getting cancer, about losing our mind, about losing our job, about our children getting in trouble, about getting old. We don't like to confess it, so we may ignore, deny, or repress those fears. But to overcome our fear, we must first acknowledge it.

The psalmist recognized his fears. "Whenever I am afraid," he said, "I will trust in You" (Psalm 56:3). This trust in the Lord gave him a growing confidence. "I will not fear," he said (v.4). And again, "I will not be afraid" (v.11). This was much more than self-talk. It was a conscious decision to trust in God: "I will."

We can conquer our fears. To admit that we are afraid is to admit that we are human. But to admit being afraid and then trusting the Lord and going forward will take the fear out of fear. —Dennis De Haan

I can walk with Christ in safety,
Trusting Him, my faithful Guide;
There's no reason to be fearful,
Knowing He is by my side. —Hess

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.