When Fear Overwhelms

When Fear Overwhelms December 1, 2015

photo credit: 1/8640 via photopin (license)
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


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