Have
you ever been so fearful of something that the mere thought of it took
your breath away? A wave of anxiety would consume you as you pondered
its terror?
When
I was young, I was absolutely convinced that childbirth had to be the
most wretched pain ever. I resolved I would simply remain without
children. I was, well...wrong.
One
of my children has a pathological fear of violent death. Think
terrorists barging into our home to wake us from our sleep and torture
us before shooting us all one by one. This has been ongoing since first
grade, when history somehow demanded that the events of 9/11 be
unraveled in an elementary classroom.
No scripture or
prayer has been able to fully undo the fear in my child. Though I hope in time, it will fade away.
Maybe you fear death, or public speaking, or pain, or public humiliation, or something else entirely.
Did
you know God really and truly wants to take away your fear? His word
says “There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John
4:18)
That
doesn’t mean if you’re a believer the fear simply goes away. Because
the devil is the one who holds the power of death, the battle is with
him. For some, it is a constant battle because naturally as you draw nearer to God, the enemy is closer still, breathing down your neck.
But there's a truth you can and should hang onto. The reality is one act of love canceled out this power. Perfect love. No other kind would do.
Hebrews
2:14b-15 says “by (Jesus’) death he might break the power of him who
holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all
their lives were held in slavery by their fear of
death.”
My
grandpa died about 10 years ago. It was a beautiful thing, which sounds
strange, but bear with me to understand why his death was truly like a fairy
tale.
He
was terrified of dying, but only recently. I had visited him not long
before in his new home — an apartment in an assisted living facility.
He moved there because he had fallen in his new house.
As
I visited, he relayed the story to me. He was trapped on top of his own
arm. Seconds turned into minutes turned into hours. He was not only
physically stuck, his mind and emotions were trapped on a single thought
planted there by the enemy: You will die as you suffer in pain on top
of your own arm unable to move. Your death will be slow and agonizing, as you starve unnoticed and unknown in this world. Satan is so convincing!
But God is more powerful still! A
prayer saved his life then. He prayed that God would give him
supernatural strength to rise up and call 911, and God answered that
prayer. But my grandpa, with
tears in his eyes, told me he was now scared of death because of the
pain he experienced. I hugged him and comforted him as best I could, mind you this was all before I was born again in Christ.
Not
long after that, we went to Branson for a family reunion. Grandpa grew
up nearby — one of 11 children — living in the hills of Missouri with
no electricity or indoor plumbing. He was reunited for a week with all
of his living siblings, and spent time with most of his children and
grandchildren and even some great-grandchildren. Then we all kissed him
good-bye, and just down the road he had a heart attack at the gas station five minutes after I kissed him in the back seat of my cousin’s car.
He was surrounded by love in his last moments, and his death was very fast and pain-free.
I believe he is in heaven now, celebrating yet another answered prayer.
You
see, perfect love experiences the fear on our behalf. Christ
suffered in death so that you don’t have to. To make atonement for our
sins, He suffered as a man of flesh and blood to “taste death for
everyone.” Hebrews 2:9
So
next time you find yourself overcome by a wave of terror or anxiety,
instead of letting it knock you to the ground, say a prayer and ask God
to help you remain steadfast. Open Hebrews 2 and be encouraged by these
words. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to
help those who are being tempted,” from verse 18.