I had fallen asleep and was awakened in the middle of the night by one of those things that go bump in the night. My eyes popped open and I realized I was in a state of fear-induced rigor mortis. Although I survived the incident I began to meditate on fear and why it plays such a large part in our lives. All of us fear something.
I opened my Bible one Sunday morning and confirmed my suspicion. Fear is the very first emotion mentioned by name in Scripture. Adam and Eve had succumbed to the temptation of the Serpent. They ate of the fruit and the narrative in Genesis 3:8-10 describes the first time in history a human being felt and confessed fear:
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.
There are approximately 450 mentions of the word “fear” or some form of it in the Old and New Testaments. Fear is a big deal in human experience.
I was fearful as a child too. I was relieved to learn later in life that very intelligent people tend to be fearful so that explains my fears. But specifically, as a child I was terrified of “the bomb.” This was common among people brought up in the fifties.
I also was afraid of Werewolves and Dracula. I was smart though. I kept all the necessary monster remedies by my bed. I had a cross to repel Dracula and a silver bullet to take out the Werewolf. No monster ever got me.
We may never rid ourselves totally of fear, but if we truly trust in God’s Providence, it will be greatly reduced, and He will take care of the monsters. God did say, many times, “fear not.” Can you trust Him with your fears?