Faith over Fear

8/12/2020

Matthew 8:26 “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”

Boy, does this verse resonate with me, as a person with OCD I have a very active fear mind. This is a constant battle for me, but the closer I draw to God, the less fear I experience. This has been my truth since my diagnosis 10 years ago. There is a popular saying that goes, “Faith and fear cannot reside in the same space.” I think about this a lot. I also have two plaques in my house as reminders of that say, “Let your faith be bigger than your fear,” and “Pray more worry less.” I know I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating; “fear not” is said 365 times in the Bible. Obviously one for every day of the year, so I think God really meant us to pay attention to those words. I, alas, fail on this front often. My fear is rarely for myself but usually for those I love.

Chambers writes, “There are stages in life when there is no storm, no crisis, when we do our human best; it is when crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to trust Him, the crisis will reveal that we will go to the breaking point and not break in our confidence in Him.” Where is my confidence in the uncertainly and unrest of our current world? Relying on those in power certainly does not bring comfort, it actually can induce more fear. The only One who can bring me peace and comfort during this time is God, and the only way that happens is through complete and total faith in Him.

In Matthew 17:20 Jesus addressed His disciples when they asked Him why they could not drive a demon out of a young boy. He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you and say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Just a small amount of faith, if it is honest and true, can move a mountain, so of course it can conquer any fear I may have. The closer I become to Jesus, and the more my faith and trust in my Savior grows, the more strength I receive and the less fear I feel.

So, during this time when fear is being worshiped as an idol, I will keep focusing on God and walking in faith.