Drive down the road or walk into any grocery store, library, or public building, and you’ll see the signs—it’s spooky season! People’s front lawn displays are dripping with spider webs and sporting ghouls, ghosts, and skeletons galore. It’s fun to be frightened. There’s a reason we enjoy creepy stories told around a campfire, horror movies, thrillers, and haunted houses. In the end, we know we’re safe the whole time, so we can enjoy the thrill of being scared for a short time.
But fear—actual real-life fear—is not fun at all. And our world is full of it. Not just around Halloween, but every day of the year. Whether it’s the survival fear response to dangerous situations, the dread of something horrible about to happen, or the anxiety of uncertainty, we all experience fear. What does the Bible say is the remedy for fear? Check out the verses below. (All verses are from the New International Version.)
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 56:3
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
Psalm 46:1-3
“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.”
2 Timothy 1:7
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
Notice that the Bible doesn’t say there’s nothing to be scared of, that we’re overreacting, or that nothing bad is going to happen to us. One day, we’ll go to be with God in heaven, where there is no fear. But until then, I don’t think we’re going to escape it. But what we are promised is that God is in control. We can trust in the Lord, give our fear to Him, and He will give us strength to overcome our fear through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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