We all have fears that overwhelm us at times. In this post, we’ll talk about that, as well as look at some verses to help us overcome the hold fear has on us.
Do you fear the future? Failure? Loss? Storms? Spiders? So many things.
I’m guessing your list is as long my own and age only seems to add to it.
Fear’s a funny thing.
Not really “funny,” cuz ain’t nobody laughing at this one. But it’s weird to me that some things cause us to recoil while other, worse things, don’t even bring a shudder.
I’ve seen a tornado peel back the roof of my childhood home like a sardine can while my dad shielded my brother and me with his body—with my mom trapped down the hall. Am I especially afraid of tornadoes or even thunderstorms?
Nope.
That’d make sense. Right? But I’m no more afraid of storms or tornadoes than the average person.
Now wasps have been a different story. The good-for-nothing Satan’s spawn just waiting for a passerby to zing.
The “funny” thing is wasps didn’t even cause my fear of them; something else did. One year at camp a rogue black bumblebee decided my bottom lip looked menacing.
Yeah, that hurt. My cheek and lip swoll up (or swelled), as we Southerners like to say sometimes to really get the extent of something across.
And I didn’t do anything to it either. It was an innocent bystander kind of thing when it got curious about one of my friends, and several people smacked it.
Somehow my brain never caused a fear of the bumblebee—what actually stung me. Growing up in the country, I knew they weren’t usually hostile unless provoked, but wasps on the other hand . . . aggressive. And did I mention good for nothing?
For the longest time, the rare wasp in the house caused my heart to ’bout beat out of my chest and took thirty minutes to kill. And that was actually an improvement.
Do not fear.
Have you ever heard the saying that there’s a “fear not”—whether stated directly or in context—in the Bible for every day of the year?
Three hundred and sixty five.
As a Bible-believing Christian, I’m always leery of the positive messages masquerading as biblical truth, so, of course, I did my own research. And came up with 280 matches in the NASB version to the phrase “do not fear.”
That’s a lot.
Now a few of those matches referred to fear of God as in having a reverence of God—or lack of it— and a couple I found were part of an unrelated conversation between two people.
Most of the matches were exactly on point, though, and I didn’t even search for the verses that had the meaning without the direct quote for this research.
I saw enough to at least support the claim that God cares about our fear. He understands that the smallest things scare us sometimes. And that the big things overwhelm us to the point of inaction.
Did you know that fear is afraid of something too?
Someone may be more like it.
The truth is fear’s already been beaten by Jesus’s perfect life, sinless death, and death-defying resurrection, and when we accept Him as Savior, we too have all we need to fight fear. (If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior, please visit this page).
As the Holy Spirit fills us and we lean into the Word of God, we too beat fear.
Even in the big things because let’s face it, my wasp fear is a microcosm of the big picture. Too many emergency phone calls have caused a fear of losing my husband too early. Too many car wrecks have caused a fear of driving practically anywhere. The list could go on and on.
But I put together nine verses that especially speak to my fear. I pray they do the same for you.
Fears, whether big or small and sensible or not, can place a powerful hold over us, but we don’t have to stay there. When we accept the gift of Jesus’s sacrifice for us and look to the truth of His Word, we beat fear.
What’s your go-to verse when fear shows up? I’d love to see it in the comments below.
*** This post was revised from the archives. Check out the original here. ***
Want a few more resources?
- 5 Symptoms of People-Pleasing {+ 6 Verses to Remember} from HISsparrowBlog
- When the Fear of Failure Paralyzes You, Remember This from HISsparrowBlog
- Fear Not: 6 Important Scripture Reminders to Cast Out Fear from HISsparrowBlog
I frequently link up with the following: Grace & Truth with Embracing the Unexpected, Instaencouragements with Patsy and her crew, Let’s Have Coffee with Joanne Viola, and Blessing Bloggers with Deb Wolf.
The Psalm 56 passage is one, but another is Isiah 41:10: “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.”
That is one of my favorites, Barbara!
It’s funny (and like you said, not really “funny” but…) how fears can differ from person to person. I’d think I should be afraid of tornadoes too from the close calls through the years (but yours was REALLY close! I’m sorry!), but I don’t really get scared of them either unless I think they’re really going to be bearing down on my house. I guess spiders scare me as much as anything; I saw a big one today and had to kill it myself! ha. Anyway, as I’ve aged, I’ve learned that some of my fears may never disappear, but that I can just bring them along with me and keep going. Most of the time anyway. 😉
I love how you put that, Lisa: “bring them along with me and keep going.”
Beautiful images for each verse, and you’re so right! Truth is the greatest antidote for fear.
Thanks for reading, Michele!
Many wonderful verses to combat being afraid. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by!
I can relate to your distaste of stinging wasps. I unintentionally unearthed a yellow jacket nest while gardening and ended up in the ER. Now, I head inside when I see one of those pests. One time one followed me from the back yard when I quietly turned away and stung me before I got inside my front door. I love those verses to quiet our fears.
Wow, Debbie! No wonder you can relate. Those pesky little creatures pack a punch. Thanks so much for commenting!
Great job on this topic! I love what you said: “As the Holy Spirit fills us and we lean into the Word of God, we too beat fear.” This is key to overcoming fear.
I love the verses you shared. Psalm 56:3 was the first verse I learned as a child to overcome fear. I use it today as a breath prayer to calm myself when anxious. Breathe in: “What time I am afraid …” Breathe out: “I will trust in Thee.” It works!
I love your breath prayer. I’m going to have to remember that! Thanks for stopping by, Jerralea!
You have put together a wonderful group of verses regarding fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 is one I hold onto often 🙂 As we go through life, it is interesting how fears can change. But we can overcome them as we keep our focus on Jesus and His truth.
Yes, that’s so right, Joanne. Fears can change, but I suppose that could be a comfort too. Even fear won’t last forever, but God does. Thanks for commenting!