Fear is real! Fear is rational. Fear is irrational. Fear causes pain. Fear causes anxiety. Fear is a part of life. It can raise its head without warning…one phone call…one conversation…one moment can shift us from a place of peace to a place of fear. God does not want us to be controlled by fear, as it is the opposite of trust. Still, it is a normal emotion that we all deal with.
Let me say from the beginning that if you deal with uncontrollable fear, seek help. It is OK to have a Pastor and a counselor. Just as our bodies can be broken and need medication, so can our minds.
When I was little, 4 or 5, I had an irrational fear of storms, likely from growing up in Tornado Alley, the plains of Missouri. I was also petrified of the tornado scene from The Wizard of Oz. Whoever decided this was a kid’s show needs to be flogged. In that scene, Dorothy tries to find shelter from an impending tornado. Eventually, she is knocked on the head by something. When she opens her eyes, her home is in the twister, and she sees the people from her life pass before her. That includes the evil neighbor, Ms. Gulch, riding on her bike. She becomes the Wicked Witch.
As if this scene were not scary enough for kids, they added a song that intensified the moment’s emotion. Once my older brother realized this scared me, he would run around twisting and humming that happy little ditty from hell every time there was a storm. This frightened me even more. Today, I love storms, but I can still remember what that fear felt like.
King Jehoshaphat encountered a situation that brought great fear to him and the nation.
2 Chronicles 20:1-4 reads, “After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.) Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help. NLT
The word used here is “terrified,” which means extreme fear. Considering this, you might think Israel would turn and run. They did turn but did not run. They turned to their God. The King called the nation to a time of prayer and fasting. It’s always a great place to start. Israel followed the spiritual leader of their king. They were often running to the gods of other nations. Jehoshaphat was a righteous king who led a great spiritual revival in Israel. So, it is unsurprising that he was willing to turn to God immediately.
Verse 29 of this chapter turns the situation on its head. “When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them.” Israel’s trust in God causes fear to fall on the enemy nations. That’s how God works. When we trust him, He helps us, even at times, placing that fear on our enemies.
The key is our willingness to submit to God through prayer and fasting, asking for His will rather than our own. That is easier said than done, but you must never forget that you are not alone. God is always with you in every situation and place of fear. Turn to him and trust.
So, the next time you are overwhelmed with fear, turn to God, pray, fast, and see what God will do for you!
Cover image created using AI.
Through Time 