“Fear not, for I am with you.” (Isaiah 41:10, NKJV)
I was sitting on the deck of our family mountain house in western North Carolina when I called LPGA Lay-Chaplain Cris Stevens.
“Cris, I’m embarrassed to even call you,” I began.
It was the day before Hurricane Milton was set to unleash the 100-year storm on my home state, and I was scared. Hurricanes are nothing new, of course, but I couldn’t shake the fear of our home flooding or tornados ripping through while loved ones slept. We’d just made it through Helene, after all.
Cris has been lay chaplain of the LPGA since 1982, and she’s fielded plenty of calls over the years from folks gripped by fear. Whether it’s the fear of failure, the fear of loss, or the fear of helplessness. Even the fear of success.
I was somewhat surprised that the word “embarrassed” tumbled out of my mouth. The truth is I felt like my fear exposed a lack of faith. Why couldn’t I trust God to see me through? Aren’t I spiritually mature enough to handle this?
I felt better after our conversation, but I still couldn’t shake the idea that I’d failed a test.
Mercifully, our home was fine, as was my mother’s. So many we know, however, lost so much. I called Cris back a few weeks later to hash it out, and she brought up a familiar verse.
“Fear not, for I am with you.” – Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not” is not a command in the sense that I should feel shame for being fearful. Instead, knowing that when I am afraid, I can run to the Father is a comfort. I can rest in him.
If Jesus was in such anguish before his death on the cross that Luke described his sweat as drops of blood falling to the ground, why should I view fear as a sign of weakness?
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for being the good shepherd we can always run to when we’re afraid. We know you’re not moved by our bravado. Thank you for taking away our shame and loving us fully. Thank you for giving us peace.