Letting go of Fear: Stephanie Roberts

I have always been a fearful person who struggles with anxiety and OCD. I also have severe asthma which causes me to have panic attacks. There have been times in my life when I’ve been so overwhelmed with fear that I couldn’t do anything; I could barely put one foot in front of the other. I can’t tell you that I don’t still struggle with fear and anxiety; I do, but God has been faithful to walk with me through those times, and to bring me out of them. But only when I have been willing to let go; let go of my ‘control,’ and let go of the fear.

That sounds counter-intuitive. Letting go of control is the last thing a person who struggles with fear wants to hear. That control makes you feel less panicked. At least that’s what I have told myself for years. But about a month ago, I was in a full blown panic stricken anxiety ruled state, with my OCD on full display, and in frustration and exhaustion, I sat still and listened to God.

This is the first step when fear is overwhelming. Stop and sit still with God. Psalm 46:10-11 says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” This Scripture gives us the instructions we need to let go of fear. One, Be still. Two, Know that God is God. Three, Praise God. And fourth, God will be with us.

One-Be still. It’s so hard to just be still when fear is overwhelming. If you’re like me, you want to run from the fear, so you stay busy to keep from letting it completely consume you and render you incapable of doing anything. But God tells us to be still. Stop striving. In Psalm 46:10 where it says to Be still; this can also be translated, cease striving. Stop trying to do it yourself. Just be.

Two-Know that God is God. Proverbs 1:7a says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” The Hebrew word for fear here means to have reverence, to have a deep respect, to be in awe. This word occurs 45x in Scripture. To fear God, to have deep respect for Him, to be in awe of Him; we must know Him. We must know His character. We must know both His holiness and His love. We must have a balanced knowledge of Him. Jen Wilkin says, “The Bible paints a picture of God who neither scowls nor coddles, a God who is both “Our Father” and “in heaven” in perfect balance.” When we know God, we will be led to praise God.

Three-Praise God. This was the biggest key to me being able to let go of my fear. But to get here I had to first be still and second, remember who God is. Because it is our knowledge; our awe of who God is as Creator, King, Prince of Peace, that leads us to worship and praise Him. When I was driven to be still, to turn to God in my fear, I was led to a verse I memorized as a little girl that I often used to calm myself down. Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” But instead of just reading this verse alone this time, I read Psalm 56 and Psalm 57, and discovered something wonderful.

Psalm 56 speaks of crying out to God in fear and trusting Him. Psalm 57 also speaks to fear as well, but also of praise. I encourage you to read both chapters. They are beautiful, encouraging, and uplifting. For now I’m only going to focus on Psalm 56:3-4 and Psalm 57:7-9. When I read these chapters in their entirety, I realized I was just getting a snippet of truth and peace in 56:3. Psalm 56:4 says, “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” And Psalm 57:7-9 says, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and Lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.” What I realized in reading these two chapters is that the answer to fear is praise. When you are praising God; when you are completely overwhelmed by who He is, by His power, His love, His majesty, it is almost impossible to be afraid. Corrie Ten Boom said, “The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.” That morning, after tossing and turning and having multiple panic attacks through the night, when I finally sat still, and started focusing on the God of the universe, the God who sent His son to die in my place, the God of my salvation, and the God of peace; I was finally able to set down the fear. He filled my heart in its place with Himself.

This leads us to our fourth and final point; God will be with us. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Creator, Holy God will be with us. He is a deeply personal God and He will walk with you. You can fully trust Him with your fears. He can handle them; much better than we can.

This isn’t a cure all. I still struggle with fear. But when I feel it overwhelming me, if I stop, know and praise God, remember He is with me, lay my fears on Him, and stop trying to fix or control it myself, I find peace much faster. He gives me the peace and calmness I need. During this time of uncertainty, panic, and fear I hope you can find the peace God freely offers, and let go of your fear by turning to our great Heavenly Father.

Stephanie Roberts is a gift records specialist at Davidson College. She is working on her master of arts at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She loves to read, write, and teach.