By Kelly Carr

There are lots of things people dislike, but for some those develop into actual fears. As a kid I didn’t mind crawling into cubby holes, but now I am a bit claustrophobic. As a carefree youngster I wandered about touching everything, but now I feel best with hand sanitizer in my pocket—my family and friends would label me a germaphobe!

Age and maturity can bring about fear. The more we become aware of, the more we realize things can hurt us. The more we learn of atrocities, the more protection we seek. My deepest fears now are the “what-ifs” that could harm the ones I love or separate me from them.

God tells us that his “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). But striving to trust his invisible, eternal love while not giving in to our visible, temporary fears is much easier said than done. The things right in front of us seem insurmountable. And they are when we try to do it alone. But God does not leave us alone. He is with us. And he often provides people in our lives to be a visible depiction of his invisible strength.

The Israelites were freed from Egypt yet the Egyptians pursued them, so God’s people were understandably afraid. They could only see the enemy. They could not see how God would deliver them. Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. . . . The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13, 14).

Sometimes we need prompts to recall the perfect love who stands by our side. When you see people struggling with fear, be like Moses and remind them of God’s invincible power to overcome. Remind them to trust the Lord’s deliverance. Remind them, and yourself, to stand firm and be still.