When Fear Overwhelms

Last updated on: December 1, 2015 at 9:47 am by Scott Slayton

When Fear Overwhelms 2015-12-01T09:47:40-05:00 Scott Slayton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

photo credit: 1/8640 via photopin (license)

Many of us overcame our childhood fears only to realize the fears of adulthood are much more real. The uncertainty involved with relationships, jobs, children, and finances steal many hours of sleep from us. We envision worst case scenarios or instances where our current circumstances never improve and then we find fear knocking on our doors.

Thankfully the Bible acknowledges the reality of our fears and shows how men and women of old faced and conquered their fears. In particular David wrote Psalm 3 at a time in his life when he faced overwhelming hear. His son Absalom rebelled against him, declared himself to be king, and sought to put him to death. David fled the capital city of Jerusalem and hid from his own son. David penned the words to Psalm 3 while he fled from Absalom and through this Psalm shows us who to face our fears.

Acknowledge the Reality of Your Situation

In the first two verses David prayed about the reality he faced. Many foes surrounded him and taunted him by saying God would not save him this time. The stars seemed to align behind his son Absalom and the people wanted him to be the king. David escaped from trouble many times before but the odds did not appear to favor in this conflict.

David acknowledging his situation reminds us to have an honest outlook about the troubles we face and the fears which trouble us. Lying to and deceiving ourselves accomplishes nothing. When we find ourselves harassed by fear we should be honest about what we feel in our souls and why we feel it. David demonstrated this honesty for us and showed it should be directed towards the Lord. In times of paralyzing fear we should pour ourselves out before him knowing he is the only one who can give us peace. We would all benefit from memorizing and acting on Paul’s words in Philippians 4:6-7, “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.”

Remind Yourself of the Character of God

Many times our fears are not imagined; they are real. When our fears appear we must turn to a reality greater than our fears. David modeled this for us in verse 3 with the word, “but.” His circumstances frightened him, “but.” Behind the word “but” stood the majestic character of God. David reminded himself that the Lord is a shield who surrounds him. David found solace in knowing the Lord protected him before and would do so again. He also referred to God as his “glory” and “the lifter of my head.” He hung his head in shame because of his sin with Bathsheba and because of his need to flee the city. However the Lord would take his shame and turn it into glory again.

In the same way we need to remember who God is when we encounter fear and trouble. The person who studies and dives into understanding the attributes of God does not engage in a futile exercise. Knowing who God revealed himself to be in the Scriptures is not for ivory tower academics. When we know who God is and how he works in the world, we have greater confidence to turn to him when fear rattles us.

Trust in God and Rest

David said he laid down and slept then awoke because the Lord sustained him. David recognized the Lord’s protection over him when he slept because sleep put him in a vulnerable position. He had no idea if someone was sneaking up on him to kill him. He knew the only way he could lie down and sleep if the Lord was his protection.

The act of going to sleep when you face fear is an act of great faith. Fear and stress often rob us of valuable sleep. How many times do we wake up in the middle of the night and find ourselves unable to sleep because we rehearse our fears in our minds? Instead of meditating on our fears we must remember who God is and turn to him so we can experience peace. Because Jesus died for us and God in his power protects us, we can sleep through our fears with confidence knowing we will awake to find we have been sustained all along through God’s grace.

Related Posts:
“Repenting of Our Lack of Sleep”
“Why You Should Read the Psalms”

For Further Reading:
The Songs of Jesus by Tim Keller
When People are Big and God is Small by Edward Welch

Life

Previous Post

November 27, 2015

A Few Good Reads

Next Post

December 3, 2015 How Not to Respond to Terrorist Attacks

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Books Church Life Marriage Parenting Photos The Ministry Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 March 2020 July 2019 April 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz