From what I understand, we are born with two fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. Of course, in time we develop many more.
Research has identified more than 400 phobias and we seem to discover new ones each year. In 2020 ten new ones were discovered! They included…
Triskaidekaphobia – Fear of the number 13
Nosotherphobia – Fear of making others sick
Acartohygieiophobia – Fear of not having enough toilet paper
I imagine a lot of us were dealing with that last one during 2020 — and it was no joke!
My personal favorite is the aptly named, “sesquipedalophobia” — the fear of long words.
About 19 million Americans report suffering from one or more phobias. It is one of the most common mental health issues in the United States.
Contrast that with what Paul says in Philippians 4:6 —
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
And what about 2 Timothy 1:7!
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
And Proverbs 29:25!
"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”
Clearly, God does not want us to live in fear. And yet we live in a time when many of our neighbors and friends seem to be doing just that.
I’m sure part of the blame lies with the pandemic. Before March 2020 most of us had never heard of COVID-19, nor did we know what a coronavirus was. But after two years of shutdowns and quarantines and over six million deaths worldwide, it is a word that creates fear and apprehension when spoken.
Credit can also be laid at the feet of the media who make a lot of money by whipping people up into a state of alarm. In fact, Barry Glassner, author of The Culture of Fear has claimed that we are “living in the most fearmongering time in human history.”
But I suspect the real culprit is a familiar one: Satan. He wants us to live in fear. He wants our fears to overwhelm our faith and trust in God. Fear has always been one of his greatest weapons!
He tempted Adam and Eve to sin against God to the effect that when God later called out to them in the Garden they hid from Him in fear (Genesis 3).
Satan used the threats of Queen Jezebel to create fear in the heart of Elijah (1 kings 19). This didn’t make sense considering that Elijah had just defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18) and was basking in the glow of one of the greatest spiritual victories of all time. Her threats must have hit him in a weak moment for they led to his running away from her in fear for his life.
Even Jesus experienced fear. In the garden of Gethsemane, on the eve of the Cross, Luke tells us (Luke 22:44) —
“And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
What Jesus experienced is a condition known as hematohidrosis, where tiny
capillaries which feed the sweat glands burst and blood is then mixed with perspiration.
It only happens in moments of extreme duress, which describes Jesus’ emotional state as He awaited the ordeal of the Cross. He told His disciples — “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Matthew 26:38)
Fear in and of itself is not wrong. It’s natural. In fact, there are situations — like when confronting a robber in a dark alley or an intruder in a home invasion — where it would be extraordinary not to experience some degree of fear.
The fear the Bible condemns is that which proceeds from a faithless heart.
When God says, “Fear not” (Isaiah 41:10) what He means is that we must not allow our faith to be overwhelmed by our fears. Fear mustn’t take over. Faith and trust in God must guide our every decision and shape our responses to the fearful things we face each day.
As one writer puts it — “Meet your fears with faith!” (Max Lucado).
God’s solution to fear is to trust Him even more and take comfort in His presence. He says,
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10).
So when you are afraid — dig deeper! Trust Him more!
And pray. The psalmist said,
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
God can do the same for us.