Fear can try to boss us around

In the 1990 movie “Home Alone” with Macaulay Culkin, in their rush to the airport Kevin’s family fails to ensure he is with them, and it takes several days for them to return. So he is “home alone.”

I was left home alone too. Granted, I was in my 40s and my husband didn’t forget me in a rush. He just went to another state on business for a few days.

Our home sat in the middle of five acres of South Carolina wooded land. I loved being surrounded by nature; it was beautiful, peaceful and private.

Well, I loved it until the first night I was alone after dark. We had an outdoor motion detection light and about 11 p.m. the light came on. Why? I peeked out the window and saw nothing. Then it turned off. Then ten minutes later, on again.

Off again. Repeatedly.

In retrospect, I suppose a small animal or a couple bats triggered it. But, not knowing the cause, in my vulnerable mind, it was a man – a stranger up to no good – and I became nervous, then terrified. I did not sleep much that night, or the next two nights.

We all remember experiences that scared us out of our wits. A possible intruder or a near-miss car incident –  or just having to speak in front of a crowd, or looking down from the dizzying heights of a tall tower. We remember what fear feels like, and we don’t like it.

A disclaimer: yes, there are legitimate concerns that cause us to take rational precautions, but that’s different from true fear.

In his great book, “Fearless,” Max Lucado writes: “Fear. His modus operandi is to manipulate you with the mysterious, to taunt you with the unknown. Fear of death, fear of failure, fear of tomorrow – his arsenal is vast. And his goal? To create cowardly, joyless Christians.”

I have read that the Bible tells us 365 times “Fear not,” either with those or similar words. “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13. (NIV)

“Peace I leave with you,” Jesus said in John 14:27. “My peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (NIV)

In Isaiah 41:10 we are told “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)

But how on earth are we supposed to “fear not” when this world is filled with so many things that prompt fear?

We can try to talk ourselves out of it, attempt to calm ourselves, or engage “mind over matter” techniques. However, to bring power beyond ourselves into the equation, I believe one little word can help us conquer our fears more effectively than any self-help ideas. That word is faith.

Not faith in me, not faith in others, not faith in formulas – not faith in anything but God.  

Fear can grip and hold us prisoner, but there’s a promise in Romans 8:15: “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry ‘Abba, Father.’” (NIV)

So you do not have to be fear’s slave, letting it drag you around, following its orders and showing no courage.

“No! You are not the boss of me!” you may have heard a 3-year-old defiantly say to a sibling or babysitter. That is something we can legitimately say to fear when it threatens.

In Psalm 34:4, David recorded “I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.” (NIV)

That’s nice, you might say, but what can I do if my faith is weak? Dwight L. Moody says that for a long time he prayed for faith, but it did not seem to come. Then he read in Romans 10 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Up until that time, he had closed his Bible and asked for faith.

“I now opened my Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since,” Moody said.

Let’s not let fear win. Not when we can choose faith in God. Of course you will still get scared. But when fear strikes, stop it in its tracks by handing that fear over to the One who is all-powerful and Whose love for you is relentless.