On Fear, Of Which God Has Blessed Me With Very Little of At the Moment

I never have thought of myself as one of those with a penchant for fear. As a child I never remember feeling terrified from bad dreams, although I had them. Somehow I never woke with fear, only sadness sometimes. I was never afraid of people coming after me or of monsters under the bed. All this being said, I have always been one of the most cautious people I know. I never wanted to try anything dangerous and rarely stuck myself in positions of public view. I was generally shy, although I would speak when spoken to. I usually was the one to caution people when they were in the path to get themselves hurt. I don't ever remember thinking it was fear, but more like rationality. And now, as I venture to do something that most people I talk to say that they would be terrified to do, I wonder. I am not afraid in any way. The knowledge of the struggles I will face does cause some preparation on my part. I know that although not a fearful person, I am not brave. And thus I attribute my current peace to the strength of God.


We wake in the early dark and find ourselves the targets of many fiery darts of fear. We may think we are on guard, and suddenly a dart comes at us from an unexpected angle. We can't cover all the possibilities. We dodge and duck, but some of the fears get to us--unless we take refuge in the Lord. The psalmist calls Him "my encircling shield, my glory." No need to stare into the darkness, allowing our imaginations to torment us with the "what ifs"--"Now I can lie down and go to sleep and then awake, for the Lord has hold of me" (Ps 3:3,5 JB). [Elisabeth Eliot]