Advice columnist Ann Landers reportedly receives some 10,000 letters per month. When asked to name the most pressing problem in her readers’ lives, she answered, “The one problem above all others seems to be fear. People are afraid of losing their health, their wealth and their loved ones. People are afraid of life itself.”
And who can blame them? Rarely does a day go by without news of another violent domestic or international event. Even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals that things weren’t much different in those days than they are today. God’s people continually found themselves in harm’s way. Yet, his constant command to them was: “Do not be afraid.”
When God called Abram to leave the familiar for the unfamiliar, he said, “Do not be afraid I am your shield, your very great reward.” To Moses, who faced a pagan enemy, the Lord reassured, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands.”
The young prophet Jeremiah heard from the Lord: “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.” The angel Gabriel said to the mother of Jesus, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.” Jesus comforted his disciples the night before his death, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (Gen. 15:1, Num. 21:34, Jer. 1:8, Luke 1:30, NIV). This represents just a sampling of the scores of occasions on which God delivered such words.
Certainly, there are those times when fear is normal and acceptable. Will your money run out before the end of the month? Will you reach a point where someone else will have to care for you? You get bad report from the doctor or a call that a loved one has been involved in an accident. Shouldn’t we be just a little afraid when walking alone down a dark, dangerous street? Typically, though, fear functions as a negative, debilitating emotion.