Trusting God (Part 5): When Fear Threatens to Undermine

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Throughout this blog series, I have discussed what it means to trust the Lord in a variety of contexts: when our desires and dreams are yet unfulfilled, when we are lonely, when we fail to measure up, and when we surrender to the Lord’s way. In this post, I would like to explore one of the things that can undermine our ability to leave what we have surrendered in the Lord’s hands – fear.

As humans, we are well acquainted with fear – we fear change, we fear the unknown, we fear losing control, we fear being lonely, we fear that we won’t measure up. We fear. The problem is that if we give into our fears, we find ourselves falling deeper and deeper into despair, succumbing to more fears and ultimately paralyzing ourselves. Even worse, we often end up hurting the people around us.

It reminds me of the 2013 Disney animated film “Frozen.” The movie portrays two sisters (Elsa and Anna) – one of whom is ruled by her fears, the other being free in the love she has for others (especially her sister). In the story, Elsa, who is gifted with the ability to turn things into ice, succumbs to the fear that she will ultimately hurt others with her gift. Her fear, though perhaps justified, causes her to lash out at the very people she does not want to hurt. Because she has given into her fears, what could have been a wonderful gift with the capacity to create beauty becomes a weapon of destruction as she finds that she has no control over it.

So it is with us when we let our fears get the best of us. This is most obvious in relationships as both men and women, faced with fears brought on from prior experiences where they either hurt someone they cared about or were hurt by someone they trusted, put up walls of protection to prevent further injury. Due to their fears, they often lash out at the very people they do not want to hurt, destroying whatever relationships they could have had.

The biggest problem with giving into fear and allowing it to rule our lives is that it damages our ability to trust God. And if we can’t trust God, where does the leave us? Not in a good place, that is for sure. But, my friends, we can have hope! The Lord does not want us to live in fear – He has much better plans in mind! Isaiah 41:9-10 says, “I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (NIV). God is with us! We have no need for fear when the Creator of the universe and loving Father is present with us. It is in His presence that our fears of loneliness and unworthiness can be laid to rest. It is in His strength and love that we can let go of our need for control. It is in acknowledging His Sovereign hand in our lives that our fears of change and of the unknown can be released.

Back to my illustration borrowed from “Frozen,” the key to reversing the destructive actions of a fear-driven Elsa came when Anna sacrificed her own life to prevent her sister from being killed. It was in Anna’s act of love that Elsa realized that by embracing love, she can keep her powerful gift under control, enabling her to use it for good, rather than evil. This reminds me of 1 John 4:18, which says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. Fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us” (ESV). This, my friends, is the solution to the problem of fear. When we push past our fears and choose to love God by trusting Him and to love others by opening ourselves up to them in spite of the very real possibility that we will either hurt them or be hurt by them, we find that we have true freedom. We can love others because God loved us in the first place. It is in His love that we find the strength and ability to love Him in return and to love the people He has placed into our lives. It is in His love that our fears are vanquished and we are freed to demonstrate love to others.

So, to conclude this blog series, I would like to encourage you to give your fears to the Lord and live in the wonder of His amazing love for you. Draw strength from God and allow Him to work in your heart to open yourself up to the vulnerability of loving the imperfect people around you. Don’t let your fears control you, but truly lean on the Lord, trusting Him to work out His perfect plan in His timing. He will never leave or forsake you. He is with you.

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