What to do with fear

I’ve been afraid of the water, afraid of heights, afraid of rejection, afraid of failing.  Like most folks, fear can grip me with a hold that seems never-ending. So--what should I do with my fears?

Sometimes you find life’s greatest answers in unusual and even ancient places.  Recently I was led to read 2 Chronicles 20, and I was amazed at the marvelous spiritual truths about fear in a story of a King who lived and reigned in Jerusalem over 2800 years ago. 

Jehoshaphat was one of those “good kings.” One of the last notable events of his reign occurred when several surrounding nations joined forces to attack his kingdom - Judah and its capital city Jerusalem.  Reports soon came flooding into the King as 2 Chronicles 20 tells us…

² "A huge force is on its way from beyond the Dead Sea to fight you. There's no time to waste—they're already at Hazazon Tamar, the oasis of En Gedi."

^3-4 Shaken (afraid), Jehoshaphat prayed. He went to God for help and ordered a nationwide fast. The country of Judah united in seeking God's help—they came from all the cities of Judah to pray to God.

^5-9 Then Jehoshaphat stood before the people and said, "O God, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven above and ruler of all kingdoms below? You hold all power and might in your fist—no one stands a chance against you! And didn't you make the natives of this land leave as you brought your people Israel in, turning it over permanently to your people Israel, the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived here and built a holy house of worship to honor you, saying, 'When the worst happens—whether war or flood or disease or famine—and we take our place before this Temple and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that You will listen and give victory.'

^10-12 "And now - men from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir have shown up. You didn't let Israel touch them when we got here at first—we detoured around them and didn't lay a hand on them. And now they've come to kick us out of the country you gave us. O dear God, won't you take care of them? We're helpless before this vandal horde ready to attack us. We don't know what to do; we're looking to you."

As I pondered this story, the LORD showed me a great lesson on how to handle fear.  Here’s what happened next in Chronicles…

¹³ Everyone in Judah was there—little children, wives, sons—all present and attentive to God. ^14-17 Then Jahaziel was moved by the Spirit of God to speak from the midst of the congregation. He said, "Attention everyone, and you King Jehoshaphat—hear God's word: Don't be afraid; Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army -This is God's war, not yours. Tomorrow you'll go after them…You won't have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, and watch God's saving work for you take shape. Don't be afraid, don't waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you."

^18-19 Then Jehoshaphat knelt down, bowing with his face to the ground. All Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping God. The Levites stood to their feet to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!

²⁰ They were up early in the morning, ready to march… As they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, "Listen…Believe firmly in God, your God, and your lives will be firm! Believe in your prophets and you'll come out on top!"

²¹ After talking it over with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed a choir for God; they were to march ahead of the troops, singing, “Give thanks to God, His faithful love will last forever.”

^22-23 As soon as they started shouting and praising, God set ambushes against the men who were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead. The Ammonites and Moabites mistakenly attacked those from Mount Seir and massacred them. Then, further confused, they went at each other, and all ended up killed.

²⁴ As Judah came up over the rise, looking into the wilderness for the horde of barbarians, they looked on a killing field of dead bodies—not a living soul among them.

^25-26 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to carry off the plunder they found more loot than they could carry off—equipment, clothing, valuables. It took three days to cart it away! On the fourth day they came together at the Valley of Beracah and blessed God (that's how it got the name, Valley of Blessing).

^27-28 Jehoshaphat then led all the men back to Jerusalem—an exuberant parade. God had given them joyful relief from their enemies! They entered Jerusalem and came to The Temple of God with all the instruments of the band playing.

^29-30 When the surrounding kingdoms got word that God had fought Israel's enemies, the fear of God descended on them. Jehoshaphat heard no more from them; as long as Jehoshaphat reigned, peace reigned.

 

Here’s what I learned about how to respond to fear
from King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20: 

 

1.     Seek God, pray and ask others to pray too.  (Verse 3)

2.     Fear should move me to …
- Remember that I have a BIG God
- Remember God’s promises in His Word
- Remember what God has done for me in the past
- Continue to trust Him – even in the face of disaster
- Confess my weakness
- Believe that God can and will save me
(Verses 5-12)

3.    WAIT to hear from God.

Verse 13 reminds me that even though I am afraid and unsure of what to do next…wait to hear from God. It says everyone was “attentive to God”- and that’s when God spoke.

4.    REMEMBER these TRUTHS about God:
-God will respond to my prayers
-God does not want me to be afraid or discouraged
-God has a battle plan that always wins
-Even though I can trust God to win the battle, I still have to be willing to face the enemy
-I don’t have to be afraid because God is with me
(Verses 14-24)

What happens when I respond to fear like Jehoshaphat...
2 Chronicles showed me in verses 18-30 that my response to hearing from God and the result of my moving from fear to faith will cause me to…

- Worship and praise the Lord (instead of worry and be afraid)

- Have a firmer faith and belief in God

- See and experience God’s promises when I trust and praise Him
Chronicles says that when the people began to praise the Lord – the enemy was destroyed…in fact they turned on each other!  And the people of Judah didn’t have to raise the sword once…God did it!

- Enjoy the blessings and the peace
Jehoshaphat and his people had so much loot to carry off – it took them three whole days to pack it up and take it home.  And that valley got re-named the “Valley of Blessing”.  What I think is going to be a horrible situation – God can use it to become a great blessing – not only for me – but for others too. 

Next time you think those Old Testament history books don’t have anything to say to us today…well think again. 
And never forget… ”Don’t be afraid…God is with you!”