Share Your Faith with the Fearful  

As I looked at some pictures my daughter had posted of her family visiting a show involving robotic dinosaurs, one of those photos stood out to me. Her older son and his same-aged cousin were pretending to be scared of the prehistoric creatures surrounding them, posing for the photo-op with terrified looks on their faces. Meanwhile her younger son was clinging to his mother with an uneasy expression on his face. His fear and uncertainty appeared to be more genuine. While others feigned being scared, he was experiencing some degree of the real thing.

Sometimes we are the ones who struggle with fear as we face the trials and uncertainties of life today. However, as followers of Jesus, we are often reminded that we don’t need to be afraid. If we know the Lord as our Savior, are confident that God is still the King who is in control of everything, and are assured of a home in heaven, we can often face our scary circumstances and ferocious-looking adversaries with faith, courage, and peace. Sometimes we are right there with Jesus, sleeping peacefully in the boat while the storm is raging all around us.

On those occasions when we stand boldly in the face of this world’s terrors, knowing that they can only do so much to us – that ultimately we are safe in the arms of God, let’s not forget about those around us who may not share our fearless spirit. As the time seems to be getting closer when Jesus will return, we may be looking forward to it and praying with the apostle John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). Nevertheless, there are others who are uneasy, if not terrified, about such a prospect. They know they are not ready to meet this One who will be coming to execute final judgment on the inhabitants of the world. Likewise, as we see the moral decline and resulting deterioration of our society, we can be confident that no matter how bad it gets, the Lord will be with us and will see us through it. However, there are those around us who are discovering that the things they tend to lean on for support are unreliable and may let them down. Such realizations can be unsettling. In the midst of uncertainty about tomorrow, we know that our futures are secure as long as we are in a right relationship with Christ. Meanwhile, the future can look scary and bleak to those who don’t have that hope.

 So on those occasions when we are experiencing victory over fear ourselves, let’s not forget about those around us who are still struggling with it. How can we be a help to them through those times? Sometimes we may simply need to be there – to be present as someone they can lean on or hold tightly to, as my young grandson was clinging to his mother in the presence of those dinosaurs. However, we can often offer more than temporal comfort. We can point others toward the reason for our faith, peace, and hope. We can encourage them to put their trust in the same Savior whom we are trusting. We can share about our own relationship with Christ and let others know they can have a similar experience. We can remind people that God is still on His throne fulfilling His plans and purposes, even if we may not fully understand them. We can comfort and encourage others with the same comfort God has given us.   

Our world can be a troubling place at times. Even when we are living by faith instead of fear, others may not be. Let’s seek to be an encourager and help to those who are fearful.