fighting fear with truth

You came near when I called on you;

you said, ‘Do not fear!’

“You have taken up my cause, O Lord;

you have redeemed my life.

Lamentations 3:57-58

The most abundant command in all of scripture is repeated for us right here in this passage: “Do not fear.” I’ve done the biblical research and this is a fact. God knows our hearts. He knows we need His presence and person with us. And when He comes near He comforts us with this reminder to not be afraid. So how does this fit into biblical lament?

I am surprised at how much fear has come to me along with grief. They are not a pleasant combination, in case you were wondering. In fact, confronting fear has been the biggest task I have needed to do in order to now gain momentum and a sense of a good future. It is usually what I wind up talking to my counselor about, in one form or another. It is what has made me regularly seek God in my struggle. It has gripped me in a few sleepless nights along the way. I need this command to not fear! 

I am grateful to Ed Welch and his book, “Running Scared”, for this insight: Deliverance from fear starts by naming our fears, shining God’s truth on them, and knowing what fear is saying to us. Often what I fear is not based on known fact. It is a fabrication of my imagination gone wild. When I counsel others on fear I ask them to name the fears and write out what the fear is saying, to then refute the lie. And so, here are a few fears I’ve had to confront. They don’t overwhelm me anymore. They do still like to pop up in tired and weak moments.

“I will always be alone.” This is the worst one. And it tends to grow bigger at night. But the truth is… I am never alone! I never have been alone! Jesus is with me always. God’s Spirit lives in me. To combat this fear with the truth I 1) recognize God’s presence. 2) pray out loud (it really does help). 3) cultivate friendships and talk with people a lot more than I used to. 4) stay active because physical activity seems to generate a healthy perspective, particularly when I can do so outside and in a natural setting.

“I just depress other people.” Again this is a big lie. The truth is every day I am surrounded by people who honestly care for me, even when there are moments I am obviously a little sad. And they often tell me how I encourage them. And more times than not, I have good news to talk about. So I combat this fear with truth and make myself spend quality time with people. I do need to cultivate SOME solitude, but if I am finding it dragging on me, I try to find a new friendship. It is very healing.

“I’m just stuck here… it will never change.” No… I am not stuck. I am waiting on the Lord. There is a big difference! And that perspective turns the experience into a time and place of beautiful and powerful worship. God will lift this fog of uncertainty. God will build the bridge forward a few planks at a time as I continue to trust His engineering! God will be my courage. These fears will not rule my heart when I am clear on the truth and driven by it. And so fear is fought with God’s truth!