Releasing Our Fears To God

Releasing Our Fears to God

I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? Psalm 56:4

Do you, like the psalmist, ever wonder, Why should I be afraid? Sometimes we’re too close to the forest to see the trees, especially regarding our fears. We may not realize where our fear came from, where it took root, or when it began to escalate. That was the case for a young woman I knew who lived in the Midwest as a child and was traumatized when killer tornadoes ripped through her town. Violent storms were so frequent that her parents had her sleep every night with a “tornado bag” beside her bed. It contained her little Bible, favorite photos, a jar of peanut butter with crackers, a flashlight—and a lot of fear. That fear escalated when she was abused in a day-care center at age five.

Fear spread to every area of her life: She was afraid of being rejected, of failing, and much more. For many years she didn’t realize why she couldn’t trust her husband or why she worked so hard trying to be perfect or why she couldn’t get emotionally attached to anyone. She kept constantly busy and tried to “buck up” the way her dad had told her to do when she was scared. But it wasn’t until adulthood that a godly older woman encouraged her to give the Lord her heavy “tornado bag” full of all those stormy, fear-filled nights and her fear of abuse, failure, and intimacy. As she did, her trust in God began to increase, and gradually, faith rather than anxiety became the basis for her decisions and the foundation of her life.

Often we, too, hide our fears behind denial, workaholism, perfectionism, addictions, or other self-protective strategies. If you suspect fear may be at the root of some of your problems, write down a list of fears you’ve struggled with. (You may need some professional help to sort through your fears.) Ask yourself, When did these fears take root? Ask God to show you what you are afraid of and what’s really behind your fear. As the Holy Spirit helps you to identify those things, give each fear to God. He will provide all you need to move beyond your fears to a place of trust where you acknowledge them honestly to God and seek his help. Is there a specific fear you need to let go of? —CHERI

Lord, I open my heart to you. Show me the fears I need to let go of, and please replace them with a deep, abiding trust in you.

Fear is worry’s big brother. If worry is a burlap bag, fear is a trunk of concrete.

—MAX LUCADO, AUTHOR AND MINISTER