Let Go of Your Fear

 

I’ve been worried a lot lately. While thankfully I’m not in the midst of a storm at the moment, I can see the storm clouds forming on the horizon and I’m scared of what is coming. With so many unknowns, I don’t know how to plan. Many things are completely out of my control, but I want to make good decisions about the things I do have some control over. Yes, I’ve been taking everything to God in prayer, but God (at least for the moment) is choosing to be silent. I’ve been through other storms in life. I know God is with me. I know He will help me get through whatever is coming. But I’m still scared.

That’s why I pulled Let Go of Your Fear: Choosing to Trust Jesus in Life’s Stormy Times out of my to-be-read pile. Gary Zimak offers in-depth reflections on two times in Scripture when Jesus and the Apostles face literal stormy weather: Mark 4:35-41 and Matthew 14:22-33. Zimak is prone to worry himself, so he understands that some of us are more likely to be anxious than others. He doesn’t casually brush away fear with a pithy, “If you pray and have faith, you shouldn’t worry.” He acknowledges that we can intellectually know that we shouldn’t be afraid and that we should put our trust in God, and yet our hearts can still be afraid. However, faith in God should help lessen our fear.

Zimak invites us to ask, “What is the Lord trying to teach me?” when the storm rages around us, Often, one of the lessons is that we need to surrender to Jesus, to give up that control that we like to hold onto so tightly. Zimak also reminds readers that at times when Jesus is silent, He is usually working on something. We are often impatient and think that if God is silent, He doesn’t care. We want God to act right now in the way we want Him too. We need to exercise the virtue of patience. God will act when the time is right in the way He wants to. Sometimes, Jesus doesn’t solve our problems, but simply offers us a sense of peace as we make our way through them.

The storms we experience in life are allowed by God to benefit us in some way. We can usually only see this in hindsight when we look at the big picture. In some cases, I think we may only be able to fully appreciate this in the light of eternity.  

However, if you are going through a storm right now or if, like me, you see one coming, I highly recommend reading and praying with Let Go of Your Fear: Choosing to Trust Jesus in Life’s Stormy Times. Zimak’s reflections and prayers offer a light in the storm. I especially appreciated this prayer from page 131:

Dear Jesus, when things are going wrong, my first reaction is to hide in my bed and pull the covers up over my head. I know that it’s not the best thing to do, but it’s what seems to make the most sense. Grant me the strength to follow you, even when it means taking a risk and stepping out of the boat. I am always safest when I’m with you, Lord. Help me to remember that, especially when I start to panic. Amen.