When Fear Tries to Take the Lead

One morning, as I was getting ready for church, my youngest came into the bathroom to share what he thought was urgent news. He handed me a yellow piece of paper — his potential class schedule for next year.

Why was this urgent? And why did he choose to show me on a Sunday morning instead of Friday after school? I have absolutely no clue. But as I stood there, bewildered by his timing, my heart sank a little when he said, “I don’t want to take band next year, Mom.”

“What? No band? Why? You’re so good at it. I watched you laugh through your winter concert, enjoying every moment with your bandmates. Are you sure?”

After church, we brought his dad into the conversation because, honestly, I was confused. Band wasn’t his favorite subject, but he’d seemed to enjoy it. Just as we thought the discussion was winding down, he looked at his dad and said, “I don’t want to march. What if I can’t memorize the music right?”

Oh. There she is — Fear. Rearing her ugly head again.

Fear can stop us from so many things. For my child, it’s the fear of being embarrassed in front of his friends. For us, it might be the fear of looking foolish while learning something new, or the fear of telling the truth when it could cost us a job or security.

Fear convinces us that nothing is worth risking because everything is worth losing. Instead of letting our worry drive us toward God, we often allow fear to push us away from Him.

In 2 Kings 6, Elisha’s servant learned a quick and powerful lesson about fear — one that changed his perspective forever.

At the time, the prophet Elisha had angered the king of Aram by revealing his military plans to the king of Israel. Furious, the king sent an entire army to surround the city where Elisha was staying, hoping to capture him and crush his confidence.

Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant went outside and was met with troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. Terrified, he cried out, “Oh, sir, what will we do now?”

Can you imagine? You walk out expecting a quiet morning and instead find yourself surrounded by an enemy army. Horrifying!

But Elisha didn’t flinch. He calmly replied, “Don’t be afraid! For there are more on our side than on theirs” (2 Kings 6:16, NLT).

Umm… sure, Elisha. A great army versus two people?

Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” And Scripture says, “The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire” (v. 17).

There were, indeed, more on their side than on the enemy’s.

So what does that have to do with marching band—or anything else that stirs up fear? It may seem like a stretch, but the principle is the same: The Lord is with you. You have no reason to be consumed by fear.

I don’t know what you’re facing right now. Maybe it’s fear of failure, rejection, or change. Maybe it’s something entirely different. But whether it’s now or later, we all come face-to-face with fear.

She’s daring. She’s bold. She’s deceptive. And sometimes it’s just nice to be reminded that we have more on our side than she does.

• Fear makes empty promises. God keeps His promises (Proverbs 30:5–6).

• Fear tears you down. The Lord lifts you up (James 4:10).

• Fear convinces you life is out of control. Jesus reminds you that even the hairs on your head are numbered (Matthew 10:29–31).

• Fear tells you God can’t be trusted. But the Lord proves Himself faithful again and again (2 Timothy 2:13).

  
  

My prayer is that both you — and my son — will see that fear is not worth listening to. When we press forward, even when afraid, we not only show courage — we step into experiences that will last a lifetime.