17_Faith drives out fear

Ps 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
1 John 4:18 Perfect love casts out fear
Ps 34:4 I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.

On January 22, 1999, an Australian missionary to India, named Graham Staines, was brutally murdered with his two young sons, Philip and Timothy. Devoted to serving destitute leprosy patients in Orissa, they were burned alive in mistaken religious fanaticism. In the face of such profound loss, Staines’ widow, Gladys, stood before the charred remains of her loved ones and sang unshaken faith:

“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!”

Her faith in the depths of grief gave her courage to move ahead in the Lord’s will for her. She stood in shining contrast to the fear and failure that result from human frailty. Faith and fear are incompatible. This is the central theme of Genesis 20, which highlights the cost of fear and magnifies the faithfulness of God to his faltering people.

Scripture calls Abraham a friend of God and the father of all those who believe. Yet it also records his stumbles through fear. Genesis 20 tells us that during his migration into Gerar, he pleaded with his beautiful wife Sarah to pass herself off as his sister and not his wife. He feared that the men of Gerar might lay violent hands on him to carry away Sarah for their king because of her magnificent loveliness.

Abraham forgot God and his righteousness because of his fear. He fell into lying and selfishness. He did not believe that God could protect them all. Instead, he bartered his wife’s safety and honor for the sake of his own survival.

Just as he feared, Sarah was taken into the harem of Abimelech, the king of Gerar. Yet before anything more could happen, God intervened. He warned Abimelech of the truth and of the serious consequences if he violated Sarah. He also revealed his impartiality, telling the king, “I knew that you did this in the integrity of your heart; therefore I kept you from doing evil.”

Truly there is no respect of persons with God, as the scriptures repeat no less than six times. All those who seek righteousness in his ways are called and accepted by him into the grace of Jesus Christ.

Confronted with the truth, Abimelech immediately restores Sarah and rebukes Abraham for his deception. The irony is that Abraham, chosen by God to inherit great promises, succumbs to fear, while Abimelech, a pagan and an outsider to God’s covenant, acts with integrity.

Yet God does not mock or shame Abraham before Abimelech. This is not because he is partial, for he has recorded Abraham’s failure for all generations to come. Rather, he stands by Abraham to underline his own faithfulness and to reveal the truth of righteousness before him.

Through the riches of God’s grace, God honored his covenant, not because of, but despite Abraham. God’s covenant with Abraham was not nullified by his weakness. God’s faithfulness is not contingent on human merit but on His very truth and love.The fearful and struggling Abraham won God’s eternal commendation as righteous simply because he believed God.

God did not mock Abraham before the morally upright Abimelech. He does not find fault with Abraham. Instead, he tells Abimelech that his only hope lies in restoring Sarah and calling Abraham to pray for him so that his household will be healed of their barrenness.

Abraham’s failure in Gerar echoes a similar lapse in Egypt many years earlier. Years had passed since then. He had ample opportunity to grow in faith. Yet he repeats his mistake. Likewise, faith and fear wage a constant battle in our hearts.

God promised Abraham, just before this episode, that Sarah would bear him a son within a year. Faith would have told Abraham that he and Sarah were safe until the child was born, at least. But fear makes us forget the sanctity and security of God’s promises. We act in fear to preserve our own lives, rather than leaving ourselves to God’s protection in faith.

This incident parallels the disciples’ fear when the storm arose as they were crossing the Sea of Galilee. The Lord had instructed them, “Let us go over to the other side.” No storm could hinder the divine purpose. No word of the Lord can remain unfulfilled. He slept peacefully despite the wild wind and waves. But the disciples cried out in frustration and fear. He asked them only, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” In his command, the disciples had ample grounds for faith. Yet their fear caused them to forget his word rather than holding it fast.

Let us take warning against the destructive power of fear. Fear leads to compromises that have far-reaching consequences. Abraham’s unnecessary lie about Sarah endangered Sarah, jeopardized the promise’s fulfilment, and made him appear hardened before Abimelech. Fear distorts our perspective so that we seek self-preservation at all odds.

But faith responds to fear by clinging all the more to God’s promises and character. Faith is not the absence of fear but the choice to trust God despite it. Gladys Staines exemplified this truth. Her trust in God’s sovereignty enabled her to turn from fear and bitterness. She spoke forgiveness to her husband’s murderers so that the work of mercy might continue among the very people who injured her family

Does fear dominate our decisions? Has our fear compromised our integrity or deviated our course from righteousness? Have we forgotten or ignored God’s promises because of fear? The antidote to fear is not self-confidence but God-confidence. It is a steadfast trust in the One who holds all power, who is faithful to His word, and who works all things for the good of those who love Him.

With God, our failures do not define us. God does not abandon His people in their moments of weakness. Instead, He extends His mercy and restores his people. He reminds them of his sufficiency and teaches them deeper reliance on Him. His faithfulness is greater than our weakness, and His promises are unshakable. Let this truth lead us to deeper humility, gratitude, and dependence on Him.

Let us daily wait on him, thinking through his promises and letting his word shape our perspective constantly. Let us take up the shield of faith because his plans for us are good and His power more than sufficient. Let us give up our fears to Him in prayer and choose to walk righteously.

Because He lives, we can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Let us live in the light of this truth, choosing faith over fear and trusting in the faithfulness of our God.