Do Not be Afraid

Fear – it comes at all of us in all manner of ways. Watch the news very long, fear is there. Listen to politicians, fear is there. Doom-scrolling? Fear is implicit in the word. We may fear different things (think spiders, snakes, bats and rats) but we all experience fear (we even have FOMO as a concept). 

For multiple reasons, the time between November 15th to January 15th is a season of fear and anxiety for many people. And those challenging emotions are compounded because it’s is supposed to be a time of thanksgiving and joy. Yet holiday fears abound: fear of family gatherings, fear of financial embarrassment, fear of hearing critical comments, fear of not fitting in, of not measuring up, the list goes on and on. The problem with holiday fear is that there is no real threat to one’s survival, yet we experience the overwhelming flooding of physiological responses that come from the emotion of fear.

Anatomy and History of Fear

God created us with the capacity to have and experience emotions. They are there to communicate important information to us. Fear triggers the body’s “fight or flight” response, causing physical reactions like a racing heart, rapid breathing, increased blood pressure, and muscle tension to prepare for a threat. You may also experience sweating, a dry mouth, nausea, or a feeling of being unable to think clearly. These changes happen quickly to help you survive, but the brain must then signal that the danger has passed to return the body to normal. Try telling your brain that at your next difficult family gathering!!

Fear first shows up in Scripture in Genesis 3:10. Adam and Eve had disobeyed God, partook of that which was forbidden, and subsequently tried to hide from God. (Sound familiar?) In response to God’s query about where he was, Adam replied, “I heard You in the Garden and I was afraid… Man’s interactions and relationship with God were changed, in place of closeness and communion, fear had begun to reign. But God provided a counterbalance to fear: hope, Biblical Hope centered in His Person and His promises. 

God’s Word on Fear

Since that Garden encounter, God has been repeatedly encouraging people throughout the ages with by saying: “Do Not Fear”, or “Do not be Afraid.” From Genesis to Revelation, somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 times those phrases are repeated to various individual or the nation of Israel. Abraham Gen.15:1; Hagar Gen.21:17; Isaac Gen 26:24; Jacob Gen.46:3; Moses Num.21:34; Joshua; Gideon Elijah; Jehoshaphat; Daniel; Paul. Jesus spoke those words to his disciples on different occasions: Matt.10:26-28; 28:10; Luke 12:4, 32.

Nowhere is the message “Do Not Be Afraid” more concentrated in a short span of time than in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. Beginning with Zechariah in Luke 1:11-13; then Mary – Luke 1:28-30; Joseph – Matt.1:20-21; and finally, the shepherds – Luke 2:8-18, they were all consistently told the same thing: “Do Not Be Afraid.” They were living in extraordinary times, with extraordinary events about to take place, Immanuel was coming near and about to walk with his people once again. No wonder the reassuring words were repeated to those involved.

Countering Fear

This is the same message we need reminded of again today: our world lives in fear, it tries to subject us to fear, God says “Do Not Be Afraid”. In order to counter the paralyzing effects of fear there are some avenues we can pursue. 

First, focus on God’s word 

• Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
  
• John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
  
• Heb.13:5b-6 …God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So, we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Second, focus on helping others

Nothing counters fear like getting your focus off of yourself and seeing the needs or fears of others. There are people in our own communities, not to mention around the world, who live in fear of where their next meal is coming from, or how they will meet their next rent payment or medical bill. Some are struggling with the fear of hopeless addiction, trauma, or feeling so broken that they believe they are helpless. Find an avenue where you can volunteer, donate time or resources to help those whose lives are daily living on the razor’s edge of fear. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:

• Local soup kitchens
  
• Homeless shelters
  
• Rescue missions
  
• The Foundation for Christian Counseling, whose mission is to Transform Communities One Family, (even one person) at a time. 

Do Not Be Afraid

Each of us has a choice: will I continue to live in fear (even seasonal fear), or will I take to heart God’s message: “Do Not Be Afraid”? Will I counter my own fears with practical actions, or will I allow fear to control me? Take in God’s word, choose to focus on reaching out to the least, the last, and the lost, to those trapped in fear, and watch your own fear begin to fall away.  

May the words “Do Not Be Afraid” resound in your hearts and minds this Christmas season. And may they propel you to live a life unbounded by fear and rooted in Biblical hope.