fear Archives - Sharla Fritz

Sharla Fritz

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7 Verses and Prayers for When Fear Comes to Visit

We live in uncertain times. And uncertainty can open the door to fear. Fear about getting sick. Fear about finances. Fear over the general state of the world.

We try to shut out fear, but may not feel strong enough to barricade the door. Sometimes–when we watch news reports or close our eyes to sleep–fear pushes through. It plops down on the sofa in our minds and refuses to budge.

When that happens, here are 7 verses and prayers that can chase out fear.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Gracious Father, when fear pushes its way into my heart, help me remember that You are there too. You never leave me and I find comfort in that thought. Your omnipotent strength can overcome any fear. Help me to rest in your hand.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (Psalm 56:3)

Lord, thank You that You are always trustworthy. Help me not to put my trust solely in governments and officials that are working to alleviate this crisis. Bless their efforts and give them wisdom, but help me to put my trust in You, the almighty, invincible God.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)

Jesus, thank You for these words! Sometimes fear enters my heart simply because I look ahead and start asking a million what-if questions about the future. Help me to focus on today. You will always give me what I need for this moment in time.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Mark 6:50)

Christ Jesus, I love this verse! You know my fear. You see the anxiety in my heart. But You invite me to “take courage” because You give it as a gift. Even when I can’t summon up any brave feelings on my own, I know I can turn to You and lean on You for the courage I need.

I am the Lord your God.
I am holding your hand,
    so don’t be afraid.
I am here to help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

Lord God, how comforting to know that you are holding my hand–right here, right now. In the midst of this time of uncertainty, You reach over and grab my hand to reassure me of Your presence, Your help. Help me to remember this whenever fear tries to barge in again.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Holy Spirit, Comforter, thank You for the invitation to dump all my anxiety in Your lap. You tell me not to harbor anxiety about anything–big or small. Help me to remember this in these stressful days. Whenever fear threatens to push its way into my heart, help me to turn to You again–and again. Thank You in advance for Your transcendent peace.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

Jesus, I rejoice in Your gift of peace. Right now it seems that the world gives only stress, anxiety, and fear. But You flood our souls with a peace that is available any time. I thank You that Your peace doesn’t depend on serene circumstances or tranquil surroundings. Fill my heart so full of Your peace that there is no room for fear.

If you need more help in pushing out fear, check out my posts “When You Feel Like You’re Straining Against the Wind” and “Why Are You So Afraid? Two Kinds of Fear.” If you want more guidance on how to pray during this coronavirus crisis, read “20 Prayers to Pray During This Pandemic” by Jen Pollack Michel.

Next step: Which verse will help you most today? Write it out a sticky note and post it where you will see it often. Share it with a friend!

Why Are You So Afraid?: Two Kinds of Fear

On a windy day on a lake, Jesus asked His disciples, “Why are you so afraid?” As the wind pummeled their small boat, Jesus confronted their fears.

This story came alive to me recently when my husband and I traveled to Israel. This trip had been on my bucket list for years. I longed to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and see the land God’s people called home for centuries.

On the third day of our trip, our tour group spent some time in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. It was the end of the day and the sky began filling with clouds. But beams of sunlight filtered through, shining God’s glory.

The Sea of Galilee and Mount Arbel from our boat.

Jesus on the Sea of Galilee

While gazing at the beauty of the sky, the lake, and the surrounding mountains, our tour guide read us Mark 4:35-41:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

God dramatically punctuated the word “windstorm” with a great gust of wind that shook our boat for a minute. Our guide told us that because the Sea of Galilee is surrounded by mountains, winds can whip up suddenly and unexpectedly. That’s exactly what happened the day the disciples were in the boat with a sleepy Savior. They thought He didn’t care about them and woke Him up.

Jesus immediately took care of the situation by calming the sea, then asked His trembling disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Two Kinds of Fear

The story of Jesus and the disciples on the Sea of Galilee talks about two kinds of fear.

Deilos Fear. Fear comes naturally to us humans. The word for afraid in Jesus’ question, “Why are you so afraid?” (Mark 4:40) is deilos–meaning timid or fearful. While we may not be on a sinking boat, our world gives us many reasons to have fear. We fear sinking financial failure and not being able to pay the bills at the end of the month. We fear storms of relationship troubles and clouds of deadly viruses.

Or maybe your fears are a little more subtle. Even if you don’t see monsoons of disaster in the skies of your life right now, you may harbor secret fears of loneliness, fears of growing old. Maybe you hide fears of failure, fears of the future.

But just like Jesus asked His disciples, He asks us, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Phobeo Fear. The second word for fear in the story of the disciples in the boat comes in verse 41: “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (emphasis added). Here the Greek word is phobeo, which can mean to be afraid, but also can indicate reverence. The disciples were in awe of Jesus’ ability to calm the wind and the sea.

Instead of deilos fear, let’s have phobeo fear. If Jesus can calm waves on the Sea of Galilee, certainly He can quiet the fears in my heart and your heart. When we focus more on awe of the God who can handle any situation instead of our timid hearts, God will erase our fears. The sunshine of His grace will filter through the dark clouds of our anxiety.

My husband John and me on the Sea of Galilee.

Why Are You So Afraid?

If fear has taken up residence in your heart today, listen to Jesus’ question, “Why are you so afraid?” Examine the source of your fear: finances? relationships? health? Then consider Jesus’ second question, “Have you still no faith?” Do you believe that Jesus’ power and strength can overcome any financial, relationship, or health problem? Can you trust that even though He may not remove the problem that He will walk through it with you? Then why fear? Focus on the ever-present, all-powerful God who says, “Peace be still!” to the raging anxiety in your heart.

Next step: Read Mark 4:35-41 once again. Picture yourself in the boat with Jesus. What would you have felt that day in the boat? How does Jesus’ ability to calm the sea affect you? How does it change your perspective of your current-day fears?

When You Feel Like You’re Straining Against the Wind

Where to look when you feel like you're straining against the oars.

“He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.” Mark 6:48

Do you ever feel like you’re straining against the wind?

This month, I’m reading through the Gospel of Mark and when I got to chapter six, I immediately identified with the disciples in the boat. Gale force winds of cancer have blown into our lives with my husband’s lymphoma diagnosis. In my professional life, I sometimes feel like I’m frantically rowing, but not getting anywhere. Winds of loneliness and despair occasionally blow my way.

Perhaps you feel the same way. Financial tornadoes may be blowing into your life. You are constantly straining against chronic health problems. Relationship difficulties threaten to blow you down again and again.

Thankfully, Jesus didn’t leave the disciples straining at the oars on their own. He came to them miraculously walking on the water. He came to them comforting them with the words, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Mark 6:50). Jesus speaks to our fears, our worries, our lack of courage with assurance He is with us. He is able to overcome the worst.

Life often feels like one big struggle against the wind. What we can learn from Jesus' disciples in Mark 6.

Learning From the Disciples’ Experience

What can we learn from the disciples’ experience?

We may experience a time of waiting. Although Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars in the evening He waited until 3:00 in the morning to come to them. We don’t know why Jesus waited to help the disciples. And we don’t know why we sometimes experience long waiting times for healing, for help, for hope. But we can take comfort in realizing Jesus sees us straining at the oars. He knows firsthand the struggle against this world.

We sometimes don’t recognize Jesus in the struggle. When the disciples first saw a figure walking toward them on the water, they didn’t recognize it was Jesus. Mark’s account tells us that even after witnessing Jesus feeding a crowd of 5000+ with a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread, their hearts were hardened. They didn’t recognize Jesus on the water, because they didn’t recognize Him as God. We too may be so focused on the winds, on our struggle, on our own efforts, that we don’t recognize Jesus in the storm. Jesus promised us that He would never leave us. Ask Him to give you eyes to recognize Him. To believe that He is able to help. To recognize His aid may come in a totally unexpected way.

We can find comfort in Jesus’ words, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” The disciples had to wait for Jesus physical presence. But now He is always with us. He promises to be there with us in the struggle. The wind of trouble may not die down immediately like it did for the disciples, but we know Jesus will be there in the boat with us. When the waves appear to swamp our boat, we know that Christ is still in control.  

Next step: When you feel like you’re straining against the wind, wait for the answer. Recognize it may come in an unexpected way. Remember Jesus is in the boat with you.

original photo source