“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see: the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.”
St. Augustine of Hippo
Faith and fear are like oil and water; they don’t mix well. Fear and faith are the same as two sides of a coin in which only one side can be displayed at a time. If we’re fearful then we’re lacking faith. Being full of faith causes the absence of fear and worry.
Faith requires trust – not in ourselves but in the One who is trustworthy – Jesus. Recognizing and believing in God’s ability leads us to trust Him and to let faith override our fear.
When Jesus asked His disciples the question: “Why are you so afraid?” in Mark 4:40 after they woke Him up during a storm, He was implying that there was no need to be afraid since He was with them. The windstorm, waves breaking into the boat, and the boat filling up with water weren’t reasons to become fearful. Jesus was incredulous as to why His disciples were so afraid when they had His presence.
Jesus knew who He was, the all-powerful God who created the universe and had control over the weather, but His disciples didn’t know and believe who He was. And therein lies the problem, as to why they lacked faith and were fearful. Even though the disciples had spent time with Jesus and watched Him repeatedly perform miracles, they still didn’t believe who He was. They didn’t understand that He could do all things and that no purpose of His could be thwarted (Job 42:2).
In what situation do you lack belief in who God says He is? The place where you’re lacking faith is the same place where fear has seized your heart. Those are times we need to cry out to the Lord, “Help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24)!
Even though things are uncertain in our world today, we don’t need to become fearful. God is with us, holding onto our hand. Fixing our gaze on the One who is trustworthy, all- powerful, reigns over each situation, and understands what we need, pushes fear out of our hearts and grants us faith to believe He’s got this.
“The cure for fear is faith.”
Norman Vincent Peale
Relevant Reflections:
1. In what current situation are you tempted to become fearful?
2. Reflect on God’s attributes and choose to place your faith and trust in His ability.