Learning To Prevail Against The Fear Of Bad News

Is it even possible?!  The thought of not being helpless against feeling that wave of fear, rising up then crashing over me, at the hint  of impending bad news. It seems too implausible. How could someone NOT worry about what COULD happen?!

I did not start out as a worrier. I was a strong, capable young woman who had no fear. But then I got married and had children. I began to realize HOW MUCH could possibly go wrong at any given moment, threatening the life, the people I loved and wanted to protect.

All it takes is watching the news, reading some articles, or viewing some Investigative Discovery Television shows to become aware of endless possibilities. There are a million ways life could go horribly wrong in an instant!

Then to add in the real life scenarios we have already lived through and have no desire to ever live through again. I have trauma from crises that were devastating the first go-around. The feelings and memories remain fresh in my mind. What if one of those begins to happen again? What if we are not through some of the storms we think we have already weathered?

I don’t think I could take another moment in some of those awful times. Or could I?

The Bible says I could.

God declares I can be steadfast, secure in the face of potential bad news.

My mind counters pessimistically, “No way”.

So my heart delves further into how it could be so by reading Psalm 112:7-8 again.

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear.

As much as this sounds too good to be true, I begin to entertain the possibility. The first question that pops into my mind though is who is this “he” ? I look back to previous verses to understand more. Verse 1 adds to his identity.

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. 

The Word states that a person will be “blessed” but it is conditional. So what are the conditions? There are two of them.

1. Fear the Lord– this is not an emotion rooted in the uncertainty of personal well-being, but rather out of love. This type of fear reflects the desire not to offend, out of love for someone dear and valued. I have to ask myself- am I more concerned for the Lord’s desires or my own? Who do I really value the most? Am I willing to offend Him for the sake of pleasing myself? James 2:26 reminds me that faith without deeds is dead, while John 14:15 describes the person that loves the Lord is the one who obeys his commands. These two verses help me determine who I realistically value the most, if I truly fear the Lord.
2. Delight in His commands– By taking great delight in His commands, His Word, a person will be blessed. If I am never in the Word, or rarely, then that reveals my value of it as well as my enjoyment of it. I think we can all admit we will do what we really want to do. We will find the time for what we value the most. I know for years I was very inconsistent with reading my Bible and even then, it was done out of a sense of duty. But I began to pray to God asking Him for a desire to read the Word, a passion for it, and I can enthusiastically inform you that He gladly answered  those prayers!

One more verse adds to this equation needed to conquer fear and remain steadfast. Psalm 119:165 sheds additional insight.

Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

This verse is not to imply that there will be no grief or suffering experienced in the life of someone who loves God’s Word. The Hebrew meaning of “nothing” rather reflects the protection from a stumbling block, something that would allow sin and destruction for the believer. I take this as encouragement for the overcoming nature of a believer who clings to and loves the Word. I may face bad news in my future, but it will not triumph over me.

The value and priority of the Word is the necessary life-line for the believer to face fear head-on and prevail against it. 

There I have it. What I need to overcomone my fear of all the “what ifs”, what COULD happen, is found in what God readily provides. Plenty of reasons to love/trust Him and not want to offend Him, with a delight and dependence on His Word, will get me through the uncertain times of our day. By obeying His commands and allowing that to position me in an area of protection (I won’t be getting myself into unnecessary trouble through disobedience), by tapping into the power of God’s Holy Word, I CAN be secure! I CAN have no fear of bad news!

And so can YOU dear friend!

May we throw off the sin that so easily entangles us, the fears of all that our minds dwell upon. Our security is not found in the absence of bad news, but in the unmovable, unshakable nature of an All-loving Father who stands ready to defend us from what seeks to cause us to stumble. We will not fear because God Almighty says so!!! And that’s enough!