Fear and Belief

Fear is a familiar part of life, but the promised Kingdom offers a future without fear. By recognizing our fears and choosing belief, we can reflect a glimpse of that coming peace today.

By Jason Hensley

Read Time: 7 minutes

When was the last time you felt fear?

I’m not trying to bring up any bad memories here, nor do I mean paralyzing, bone-chilling fear. I simply mean: when did you last feel any fear? I ask the question because I think this probably happens more often than we often recognize. For me, the last time I felt fear was probably within the last hour or two. That doesn’t mean I embraced the fear and believed it represented reality; rather, that fear is just a regular part of our lives.

But have you thought about the time when it won’t be? I’m sure you have. Yet maybe the better question is: how often do we think about the time when it won’t be a regular part of life? Since the fall, God has been reforming creation—with the goal of returning everything to Eden once more: returning everything back to a time of no fear. Such is the description of the Kingdom of God:

He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. (Micah 4:3-4).¹

And no one shall make them afraid. The Kingdom is a time of rest—a time not just when we physically rest, but a time in which our troubles and anxieties are gone. Thus, Revelation creates a picture in which all things are made new: sorrow, death, pain—all of those things that we fear—are gone (Revelation 21:4-5).

But that isn’t just something for which we hope today. Remember how the Lord constantly taught that “The kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mark 1:14-15)?

We know the Kingdom didn’t literally come at any point near that time; rather, Christ himself was a representation of the Kingdom. Being with him was like being in the Kingdom. He could heal, he could solve hunger issues, and he could provide that peace (cp. Luke 11:20; 17:20-21).

In a sense, we too can be a representation of this Kingdom. We can’t go around and raise the dead; we can’t create food for the hungry to eat, but when it comes to fear, perhaps we can show just a glimpse of that Kingdom by recognizing the fear we feel and choosing instead to embrace belief.

What Might Happen

But how do we do that?

Consider your own fear: why are you often afraid? For me, I’m afraid because of what I think might actually happen. I’m afraid of how someone might react, that I might get hurt, that my car might break down, or that things won’t go the way that I want them to. I’m afraid that I’ll say the wrong thing, or that something unexpected might take place. Yet, Scripture is very clear about anxiety. It’s vain (Psalm 127:2), and it weighs us down (Proverbs 12:25). Even more, Christ very plainly says that it shouldn’t be part of our lives:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” (Matthew 6:25-31).

These verses really challenge me—because like every other human, I get anxious. Even more, this particular set of verses isn’t even initially all that comforting. Do you see why? Jesus tells us not to worry, because God takes care of the birds and the grass. Yet, birds die all of the time. Little children trample grass. Though Jesus makes it clear that we shouldn’t worry, it feels as though his reassurance isn’t all that reassuring.

That isn’t the fault of Scripture, though. I think that just means that we might be misunderstanding the text. Indeed, Jesus isn’t telling us that we won’t die. Our lives will be like the lives of the birds. And, just as God feeds them, God will feed us. So what do we make of times, then, when God doesn’t feed us? Take a look at the parallel account in Luke—Jesus adds another section about birds: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7).

This isn’t just about God taking care of the birds. Instead, I think it shows Jesus’s underlying message. Even these silly little birds are important to God. He knows each of them! And, in the same way, He knows every hair on your head!

Just sit with that for a little bit. Do you ever stop to think about the fact that the Creator of everything knows you and thinks that you matter? It’s overwhelming.

But even more, in that light, what did Jesus mean when he spoke about God feeding the birds?

He meant that when God doesn’t feed the birds, it is because He specifically chose not to feed the birds. It isn’t as if God forgot. But so often we think that way! We think that God might forget to take care of us—or that something might happen to us that God wouldn’t want to happen.

Christ’s answer to worry is to remember that God cares about you and is organizing and shaping everything in your life. As Paul wrote, “All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). That’s not just a nice verse—that’s a promise.

Asking

Later, the Apostle Paul adds to that promise when talking about worry. We recognize that God knows everything that is happening, and even more beautifully, He actually wants our input! “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7). When we pray for a different way, we are once again implicitly acknowledging that everything happens according to God’s plan. Prayer reminds us of who is making the decisions. And thus, if the thing we worried about happens, and while we may be terrified of the reality that confronts us, we can also find peace in knowing that, despite our feelings, God is working all things for good.

Isn’t that what Christ himself did? He certainly felt fear in the garden; yet rather than being crippled by that fear, he prayed. He didn’t just pray for comfort; he prayed for a different way. He knew that he mattered to God. He knew that God could change reality. And he also knew that when God said “no” to his request for a change, it didn’t mean that God hadn’t answered his prayer—it meant that God was working out all things for good.

Introduction to This Issue

In other words, fear and anxiety are real feelings. They often arise from difficult circumstances or experiences. And the next step is to remember who God is. He is the one who holds all things in His hands; He even knows all the sparrows. And the One who sustains everything has a plan for you and is, in fact, working that plan out right now. The plan might be painful. Sometimes (oftentimes?) we might not understand what’s happening or why. But we can trust that God is working and that the end result of that work is good. Belief, therefore, in God’s work is how we can show the Kingdom of God today—because the peace that comes from this is peace that can really only come from God.

In this issue of the magazine, we’ll be thinking about how God works. In the Life Application section, David Fraser will finish his series on relationships, and Abigail Shankour will tell the story of how her dad came to understand the Truth and held on to hope and peace. For the exhortation, Jochem Hale will describe God’s salvation even through circumstances that at first didn’t look like salvation—again, a reminder that God is bigger and is working.

In Back to the Original, Martha Monahan returns to Psalm 23 and considers how the psalm describes dwelling with God today. For Stuff that Works, Sela Msafiri writes about Baraka Bible School and what it meant for the attendees. For our First Principles article, Annabelle Guscott describes creation and how it can help us come closer to God. For our Bible Studies, Ben Brinkerhoff continues his series on Romans, looking at “sin in the flesh,” Geoff Henstock compares Judas and Peter, and Brandon Entwistle finishes his look at David’s census.

Finally, we continue our look at Held in His Hands, Anna Tikvah’s latest book, present numerous preaching updates, and end with George Booker’s description of John the Baptist’s mission.

May all these things come together to build up your belief and, in doing so, help you to find peace in the God who knows all the sparrows—and most of all, loves you.

Jason Hensley