Ministry

Fear is something we all struggle with

Some fears are more extreme than others and some seem completely irrational, but they are still genuine fears. 

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of visiting Good Shepherd Para Vista to share with them during their Chapel service and we looked at some different phobias. We learnt that Numerophobia is the fear of maths and numbers, Nomophobia is the fear of being without your mobile phone (something we might understand all too well), Lachanophobia is the fear of eating vegetables (something the students could definitely relate to), and my personal favourite - Anatidaephobia which is the fear that there is always a duck watching you. There are plenty of times in the Bible when people had reason to fear and none more so than David who fought Goliath. The story says that in Israel, there lived a giant named Goliath, a formidable and terrifying warrior who struck fear into the hearts of the Israelite army. For forty days and forty nights, Goliath taunted and challenged the Israelites, and no one had the courage to face him in battle. The Israelite soldiers were gripped by fear, unable to see a way to overcome this mighty adversary.

However, there was a young shepherd named David, who had been anointed by God to become a future king. He was not a trained soldier, but he had unwavering faith and trust in God. When David heard about Goliath's threats, he offered to take on the giant, even though he seemed ill-equipped for such a battle.

David approached the giant with no armour, no sword and no fighting experience. All he had was a small sling, 5 smooth stones and the knowledge that God was on his side. Do you think he was scared? I do! Luckily, with the power of God behind him, David swung a rock around in his sling which sailed through the air, hit Goliath in the head and David came out victorious. In life, we will experience fears, anxiety and worry. 

We can ask God to be with us in those fears, but it doesn’t always mean that those worries will go away, it just means that we have a God who is good, who loves us and promises to be with us in everything we do. There is hope in knowing that God is with us in the fear, is walking beside us and wants us to share our worries and fears with Him – no matter how big or small they may be. A great way to remember this is “When in a fix, Philippians 4:6,” which says ‘Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition present your request to God.’

David exemplified this teaching. He didn't rely on his own strength but turned to God in prayer and trust. He believed that God would be with him and give him the strength to face Goliath. Just as David found the strength to conquer his giant through faith, we can find the strength to face our own challenges with the assurance that God is with us.

Eve Ormsby

Youth Worker