When I Am Afraid

When my first wife died, another widow in my congregation handed me a book about overcoming fear. She said it was the most helpful book she had read when her husband passed away. I will admit, I was skeptical about the value of such a book. Why would I need to read about fear?

Within a couple of days I started having trouble sleeping; I heard every creak and groan in the house, and I was convinced someone was breaking in. When my children went outside, I was obsessed with protecting them, lest I lose someone else I dearly loved. I feared for my future, I feared for my finances, and I feared for the impact of this tragedy on my young children. I feared that I would be lonely for the rest of my life.

My children, too, felt great fear. Their biggest fear, though they could not express it, was that something would happen to me. Other natural childhood fears also intensified.

Fear is a very natural emotion in the aftermath of a loss. Even when we know the fear is irrational, it is present nonetheless.

I spent many hours holding my children, singing songs about God's power and might, and reading verses about heaven. Even as I comforted them, the Lord used those simple truths to comfort my own heart as well. One of our favorite songs was a scripture song recorded by Steve Green many years prior, "When I Am Afraid." The lyrics are based on Psalm 56:3-4a:

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid."

When we are afraid, God invites us to place our hope and trust in Him, and to remember that every word in the Bible is true. As we remember His power and His love for us, our faith increases and our fear subsides.