I'm Scared!

by Jennie Smith
Secondary Principal

I can't watch the news anymore.  We live in such a fallen, sinful world, and the news on the news is never good.  Murders.  Robberies.  And don't even get me started on Ebola!  There is so much to be scared of, and I can be the biggest scared-y cat of them all.  Just the other night, there was a police helicopter going around and around in the middle of the night, and someone was on the megaphone saying unintelligible things.  I laid there for hours feeling fear (and listening to the police scanner app I have on my phone) while the rest of my family slept in peace.


Sometimes, I think I must be the only one who experiences this crazy level of fear.  Thankfully, I've realized that even great heroes of the faith have experienced fear.  Adam and Eve hid from God out of fear after they had sinned.  Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife on two occasions, motivated by fear.  Moses didn't want to fulfill his calling and tried to talk God out of it...because he was scared.  Saul disobeyed God because he feared the people of the land, and Peter had such great fear that he denied Jesus three times.

So, what do we do to combat fear?  

Call it what it is....Disobedience to the Almighty God
The Bible has a lot to say on the issue of fear.  I saw on Facebook this popular meme...

I've been trying to do some research about the accuracy of this, and most are concluding that there aren't exactly 365 verses, although it is a nice thought.  The most important thing is that God said "Do not fear..." many times, even though ONE time ought to be enough for us!  Here is my favorite (emphasis added):

Isaiah 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."

If God has told us not to fear, and yet we spend time in fear of the various crisis that can befall us, we are in direct disobedience to Him.  And He gives us a reason not to fear....He is our God; He will help us.

Trust, Trust, Trust
Our Father is so worthy of our trust.  Has he been faithful to you through past trials?  Has he sustained you in your times of struggle?  Has he provided for you in times of want?  Has he comforted you in times of grief?  He will never change and will speak to our pain when it arrives again.  When we understand that God is in complete control, and has all resources at his command to help us, we can exist at a new level of peace.  

Elyse Fitzpatrick, author of the book Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety (2001), says "God's sovereignty is the only safe harbor when we're assailed by the winds of fear, doubt, and worry" (pg. 128).  At the time when the fear of the Ebola crisis had me on edge, I googled "sermons on God's sovereignty" and found an excellent sermon by John Piper.  I was so encouraged to be reminded that God is not surprised by any problem that we are faced with and there is not one thing that God can't handle!

Realize that our fear does nothing to help the situation.
Did my laying there in bed, awake, listening to the dispatchers talk to the police through the night make me any less in danger?  Does imagining my boys coming down with Ebola make my children at any less risk of getting the disease?  Jesus said "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27).  Elyse Fitzpatrick (2001) says that worry "can't change anything.  It won't make you live one more day than God has ordained.  It won't influence whatever you may face in the future.  Worry is powerless" (pg. 111).  The threats of bad things happening will always exist, but stewing about them does not decrease the chances of them happening to us, it only makes us feel miserable and wastes valuable time.

Our only hope lies in the fact that our God is sovereign - He knows all the things that lay before us and He is in complete control of them.  Bad things are going to happen.  Police helicopters will fly over head.  People we love are going to suffer.  We may be asked to walk a difficult and terrible road.  But He is good, and loving, and will meet us in these trials and give us exactly what we need to endure them.  Let us be like the Psalmist who said  "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4).




Fitzpatrick, E. (2001).  Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety.  Eugene, Oregon:  Harvest House Publishers.

'Tis the season . . . for sickness . . . tra la la la la la la la la

Please tell me that my household is NOT the only one that has been hammered by an endless barrage of sickness lately. I don’t know why it would give me comfort to know that others are sick too, but the validation of knowing that it’s not just me makes me feel a little better. Hand sanitizer and Airborne have been no match for what we’ve been fighting in our household and not only has discouragement and exhaustion crept in, but an overall sadness at seeing my little ones (and husband) in misery. 

Our family of six has passed around various strains of stomach flu, sore throats, fevers, and other undesirable symptoms and no one has been immune. Each morning seems to be a new conversation about who is sick and who needs to stay home. No one can afford to miss work, so we end up saying things like “Well, I’ve already missed 4 days this month,” or “Maybe you can go to work for half a day and then I can go to work the rest of the day.” Can you relate to the stress and frustration? I haven’t even mentioned how behind the kids get in school by just missing a couple of days. 

In the midst of the sickness storm last week, I jokingly told Mrs. Smith and Mr. B. that my theme verse for the week was Proverbs 4:8, “Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave.” I’m fully aware that this usage of the verse is out of context, but it surely expresses what I’ve been feeling lately. 

I sat down to write this blog on a mission to find encouragement and hope for our family's current health situation. What amazing comfort there is in God's Word! Ultimately, I know that God is in control and there is a season for everything. If you or your family has been dealing with sickness as mine has and you are feeling discouraged, I pray you find hope in the following verses.  

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 

Psalm 23:1-6 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ... 

Psalm 91:1-16 

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ... 

I don't know how long this season of sickness will last. I DO know, however, that I will keep these verses close to my heart and sanitizer close to my hands.  

In the words of John in III John 1:2,

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”