“Fear not.” 

It’s a very short phrase, but a very big topic! There is so much that could be said from the Scriptures about it, and for now, we can only manage one small bite.

You may have heard that there are 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible, one for every day of the year. While that is a cool thought, it’s a little hard to pinpoint—God expresses the concept in different ways, and the numbers don’t cleanly add up to 365. The point is, however, that God expresses this idea over and over again.

He is inviting us, over and over again, to say “NO” to fear, and to trust Him for peace.

I say the word “inviting” very purposefully, because though “fear not” is worded as a command, the commands of God are so gracious that they really are invitations. God explicitly calls it a command in Joshua 1:9 (KJV):

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid…” 

And yet, what a wonderful, gracious command! God gives His commands to us out of a heart of love and for our good.

One other thing to mention here at the outset is that “fear” in the Bible falls into two basic categories:

1. The healthy fear of God, meaning the appropriate reverence, awe and submission that we are to have toward Him. 

2. The fear that we're not supposed to have: “An unpleasant emotion caused by being aware of danger,” or “a feeling of apprehension or dread that is triggered by a perceived threat.”

Admittedly, these two types of fear can cross over and be more complex than that. But we're focusing on God's command to "fear not," so we will discuss the fear we're not supposed to have as opposed to the healthy fear of God.

Now, I want us to think about (1) the nature of fear, and (2) the remedy for fear.

The Nature of Fear

In the heart and plan of God, fear was not meant to be part of His creation. In the account of those early days in the garden of Eden, there is no mention of fear among animals or man, even in their vulnerable, new state of being.

But as soon as Adam and Eve disobeyed God, fear was one of the first manifestations of their fallen state. They ate that forbidden fruit, thinking they were going to gain goodness and delight and wisdom, and instead they immediately became afraid. They became aware of their vulnerability and shame, and they tried to cover themselves.

And what was the first thing Adam said to God when God came calling? “I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid…and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10, KJV). This is the Bible’s first mention of fear.

Fear is at the heart of more sins and problems than we might care to admit. Recently a friend of mine was dealing with someone who was exhibiting all sorts of ill behavior and anger. My friend had the insight to ask, “What are you really afraid of?” Once that person became honest about their underlying fear, my friend was able to address the heart of their problem and to provide some real relief. The awful behavior all boiled down to fear.

Even if you don’t necessarily think of yourself as a fearful person, stop and consider the various conflicts in your own life, among your family or friends, or in your larger circles. Consider if, at the core of it, there isn’t some kind of fear ruling the day. 

We said that the definition of fear is “an unpleasant emotion caused by being aware of danger,” or “a feeling of apprehension or dread that is triggered by a perceived threat.” 

These dangers and threats we perceive come at us from two sources: external and internal.

In a fallen world, we are always navigating the possibility of external dangers that threaten our well-being: enemies, wars, natural disasters, accidents, sickness, pain, lack or loss of resources, loss of love or friendships—any number of unpleasant circumstances—and, ultimately, the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). So, we have many reasons to look outside of ourselves and be afraid.

On top of this, we have our internal world to deal with. It’s in our inner world that we feel shame and guilt, where we harbor thoughts, memories, intentions, and habits. It’s where we know we fall short of the glory of God, that we don’t measure up. And, if we’re honest, we realize there’s a lot we don’t know or understand about ourselves, and we’re afraid of what we don’t know… of suddenly realizing we’ve sinned in ways we didn’t understand. 

Our internal world is where we’re afraid of sudden shame. It’s where we want to hide from God, from others, and even from ourselves. It’s where we fight battles of the mind, and often hear the whispered fiery darts and accusations of the enemy. It’s where we can easily become paralyzed and tortured with self-looking. 

It’s where cry out with Paul, “wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24, KJV).

This is not a happy prospect! But that’s the nature of fear. Let's move on to the remedy for fear!

The Remedy for Fear

What I want you to remember is that God always gives us a reason to “fear not,” and that reason is always Himself.

The remedy for fear is God: Who He is, what He has said, and what He has done. (And what He has said and done is always tied into Who He is.)

Remember Pollyanna? The old movie about the girl who played the “glad game”? She decided to be happy and find the best in things. It's a sweet story, and that seems admirable, but tell someone who has just lost a loved one to “play the glad game,” and they’ll probably want to punch you.

There are plenty of times on this earth that you can’t just drum up happiness. It’s the same way with telling someone, “Don’t be afraid.” We need a solid reason.

But God always gives us Himself as the reason, and that is a reality that we can actually count on to find real help.

Very often, the reason God gives is that He is present—He is with us in a real and personal way. 

Remember what He said in Joshua 1:9 (NKJV)?

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

 Joshua had been newly appointed by God as Israel’s leader after the death of Moses, and was a very different leader than Moses. But He was God’s choice, and He needed to know that God would be with him, giving him strength as a leader over the people and giving them victory over enemies in the territory they were going to conquer. He faced internal enemies (fear and lack of confidence) and external enemies (cities to conquer). And God says, “I am with you.”

In Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV), God says, 

“Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” 

Here, God is speaking to people who were in captivity because of their own sins. They were tempted to despair that God would not be with them any longer—that they had messed up too badly to ever have His presence and help again. God addresses that internal fear by saying, “I am with you… I am your God… Though you have been faithless, I am faithful, and I will be with you.”

Two chapters later, in Isaiah 43:1 (NKJV), He speaks this way again:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.”

 Then, He says, “Since you were precious in My sight…I have loved you” (verse 4).

Redeemed and loved… What comforting words! There’s nothing like knowing that God Himself has dealt with your sins and called you His own.

There’s nothing quite as wonderful as love to deliver us from fear. In fact, 1 John 4:18 states this clearly: 

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

In Matthew 14, the disciples were in the midst of a storm at sea. Already afraid for their lives, they thought they saw a ghost coming toward them. Talk about fear! It literally says in verses 26 and 27 (NKJV),

 “They cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’” 

“It is I,” says Jesus. “You’re surrounded by external circumstances that are threatening your life, and you think you’re about to die. But don’t be afraid, because I AM HERE.”

Think of the prophetic words of Zechariah after John the Baptist was born at the end of Luke chapter 1: 

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
…
That we should be saved from our enemies
...
To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
…
To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God” 

(verses 68, 71a, 74-75, 77-78a, NKJV)

God gives us holiness, righteousness, and forgiveness—and that is the remedy for our internal fear of ourselves and our own unworthiness.

We can “serve the Lord with gladness” because we can “serve Him without fear.” He has come, and He has dealt with every external and internal reason that we had to fear. JESUS CHRIST is our remedy for fear.

There are many other Scriptures about God’s invitation to “fear not,” but let’s conclude with two simple thoughts:

1. Learning to “fear not” is really an issue of focus. We can’t always control the feeling of fear, but when we become aware of it, we can choose to turn our attention toward the Lord and focus on who He is, what He has done, and what He has said.

2. We can ask God to help us “fear not.” Psalm 34:4-5 says, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed.” Look to Jesus, talk to Him about it, let Him deliver you, and fear not.