Do Not Fear
Autumn Brovarchuk / Next Gen Ministry Assistant
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise-in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalms 56:3-4
A few years ago, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to the beautiful state of Hawaii. Words, in my opinion, cannot describe the beauty of creation. I was simply at a loss for words many times at the views of this amazing place. Having the opportunity to be in Hawaii meant adventure and soaking in all the experiences possible in a short time. One afternoon my family and I decided to go on a “little” adventure, or so we thought. There is a mountain in Hawaii called “Chinamans Hat.” It is a popular tourist destination to explore and climb. We set out to take on the challenge, got in our kayaks and launched off the shore to this mountain which seemed so far as we paddled through the strong current and waves. We arrived, anchored our kayaks, looked up and began our climb. I am not a mountain climber, but that day I did. The journey up was tough, slippery, and steep … very steep. It took all my strength and strategy to make it to the top, which was indescribable at the top of that mountain. I often reflect on that moment and think if I decided to give into fear of all that could go wrong, I would never have seen that view. There was a moment climbing I felt “there is no way, I want to go back.” I had a moment to choose fear or trust and know how worth it will be in the end.
That experience was an extreme example, but we face fears daily that can be crippling at times, yet I feel we have a choice every time to let the deceiving voice of fear control us or completely trust God that He will guide our steps one at a time and hold us along the way. Fear of man is a daily battle, fear of judgement, disappointing others, not being liked, comparison, even fear of safety, but the Holy Spirit has been showing me that Holy Fear takes away all other fears. Full submission and trust in our Almighty Sovereign God can lead to freedom from all worldly fears. He is in complete control and spending time in His presence in awe, reverence, and acknowledgement of who HE is, makes all worries, anxiety, and fears disappear when we exalt Him, and worship Him. Our God doesn’t want us to live in crippling fear, therefore “do not fear” is written 365 times in the scriptures. God will climb the mountain with us, but we have to take the first step and trust He will be preparing the way as we seek and stay close to Him.