Faith Over Fear

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God—Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

I googled how many times the Bible tells us not to fear anything, and after weeding through the various answers, I finally came up with the number 105. Fear is spoken of over 500 times, however. Of course, many of those are fear of the Lord, which isn’t the same as being fearful. Am I right? I suppose if we feared the Lord as we should, there would be less anxiety.

It’s kind of hard not to feel unsettled in this crazy world—and it’s getting crazier every day. But when I get fearful, it tends to be about those things. The war in Israel, the war in Ukraine, the truly evil things we see happening in our country on a regular basis. We have young people protesting for pay at some of the most prestigious universities in this country (which right there is an advertisement for state schools). We have teachers literally trying to convince our children that they’re confused about their identity.

We have backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning…they refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too—Romans 1:30-32. (NLT)

Amazing that the things Paul was writing about in Romans around A.D. 58 are the same things we’re dealing with now. Do you see much difference?

I read the devotional Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman most every day. It’s filled with the words written by and/or about various ministers and missionaries such as Charles Spurgeon, George Müller, George Matheson, David Brainerd, and James Hudson Taylor, just to name a few. When I come across someone with whom I’m unfamiliar, I google them. It astounds me what lengths these people have gone to in order to be faithful to God’s call on their lives.

James Hudson Taylor, for example, devoted his life to missionary work in China, starting at the age of 19. He spent 54 years there and was the founder of what is now called OMF International (previously China Inland Mission). His impact was tremendous, but it came at a great personal cost. Faith over fear.

Everyone knows about Jim and Elizabeth Elliot and what they were willing to suffer to bring the gospel to the Huaorani people of Ecuador. Again, faith over fear. That can be said of all the heroes in the Bible. They weren’t superheroes. They were ordinary people God was able to use because they loved Him more than their lives. Which is what we’re all called to do.

I read about these people and realize how truly insulated and entitled we are in this country—at least I am. I don’t want to presume the same is said of you. I have so much and so little asked of me, and yet, I still get anxious sometimes. I’m definitely not hero material, but I want to be. I have the shirts—More Like Jesus, Less Like Me and Just Give me Jesus—but I pray God will give me the heart. Put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.

How often have you thought about your purpose here on earth? I wonder what the Lord would do through me if I truly surrendered my life to Him without concern about it being inconvenient, messy, or scary.

So, when Chris told me we were invited to attend a ministry meeting at our local hospital, I jumped at the chance. It’s a step, right? I’m embarrassed to admit it wasn’t until we were halfway through the complimentary breakfast, I realized what they were looking for. People who would become voluntary chaplains to visit those staying in the hospital. Visit the rooms, chat with the patients, and give comfort where we can. My first thought was I can’t do that. I wouldn’t know what to say.

Not so for Chris. As a Billy Graham chaplain, retired chiropractor, and a man whose seeks opportunities to serve, this is his jam. For the past year, he’s been visiting the bedside of a member of our church who has been slowly deteriorating from a genetic, fatal, illness. This man passed away last week, and since we’re between pastors right now, Chris was asked to officiate at his funeral. Coming alongside those in the hospital is just an extension of that.

But even if it wasn’t, he’d still do it. As he’s reminded me on multiple occasions, evangelizing has always been a challenge for him, but if he wanted to serve as a Billy Graham chaplain, he needed to press through. And here’s the most important part—we need to allow the Holy Spirit to do the heavy lifting.

We don’t grow in comfort. Can I get an “Amen?”

So, today I will be stepping out in faith to serve as a voluntary hospital chaplain, even though I feel anxious about it. Pray for me. It’s only a few hours a day, one week every other month, but even that seems overwhelming for an introvert like me. Baby steps, right? I have to start somewhere.

Is there something you’ve considered doing but let fear hold you back? Give it to the Lord and see how He will work it out for your good and His glory. Maybe it’s something as small as volunteering for a ministry or something as big starting a new business. When I think of all the ways God has worked in my life to enable me to achieve the dream of writing, I wonder why I ever doubt Him. He is always, always, always faithful.

You can bank on it.

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