Fear (Series): When We’re Not In Control

JeanneTakenaka 

Have you ever read a passage in the bible—one you’ve read many times before—and God just speaks to you? 

I don’t know how many times I’ve read about Saul’s and David’s lives. But this time? The Lord has shown me many things I never considered before. I noticed how differently Saul and David responded to fearful situations in our lives.

Maybe the stories of these two men spoke so deeply to my heart because I, too, have dealt with fear. I discovered some valuable, timeless lessons to take away from their examples.

Over the next few weeks, I’m sharing some insights God has given me. If you’ve missed past posts, you can find them here. I hope you’ll share your thoughts, struggles, and victories here so we can all encourage each other, and maybe even pray for each other.

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Please tell me I’m not the only one who begins to tremble when life spirals out of control. I suspect we’ve all walked through those seasons. Last fall and winter left me reeling as thing upon thing piled on my shoulders. Time demands. Emotion demands. Soul-sapping demands.

Everything felt out of control. 

I couldn’t breathe deep. There were many unknowns . . . things going on with our boys and with my mom after her fall. 

I scrambled from one task to the next because so much was bearing down on me. I had no control over how any of it would turn out. Some days, life seemed to want to chew me up and leave me in pieces.

Perhaps that’s how Saul felt the day the Philistines came, declared war, and demanded that they select one man to fight their one man . . . a hulking giant of a warrior named Goliath.

Saul and the army were afraid of the guy. Daily Goliath bellowed his challenge, and basically called them chickens for not sending a man to fight.

Did Saul sit in his tent and listen to fear’s lies? Did he believe that the outcome of the battle was solely on his shoulders? Since God’s spirit had left him, who did he have to listen to but his own counsel? The burden of leadership crippled him.

Fear attempts to gain the upper hand in our thinking, in our hearts.

Saul had no control over his army, much less the Philistines. No Israelite soldier answered the challenge. Each man saw themselves as small. They allowed fear to define their authority and their ability.

None of them viewed at the situation through God’s perspective. 

When we listen to fear, we believe the lie that we must be strong, must figure out the battle plan on our own. We give ear to the lie, that the victory—the end of the battle—rests squarely on our shoulders.

When David arrived on the scene, declaring in his youthful sincerity that he would fight the giant, he must’ve rocked everybody’s reality. This young man came with a different perspective. 

Saul lived in a place of fear because he thought victory was all up to him. He had no idea how to defeat the Philistines.

David stood in a place of faith. Fear occupied no space in his heart because David knew the One who is always faithful. He knew how to walk in faith, not in fear. Though Goliath was too strong for him, David believed God was with him and would give him victory in the battle.

He moved with the confidence of one who is protected.

Most of us know the story. Saul outfitted David with his armor. But David couldn’t move in it. He knew the way to enter into battle: Trust God and use what God had given him. 

The young man took his five stones and slingshot . . . swung the sling, and with deadly aim downed the giant.

He didn’t rely on someone else’s plan. He relied on God. 

Some perspectives about fear for when life feels out of control:

Fear prods us toward decisions based on what worked in the past. In the past, Saul’s armor worked for him, but David couldn’t use it. To gain the upper hand on fear, we must rely on God in the present—believing that He’s orchestrating His plan—not obsess on how He’s done things in the past.

Fear encourages us to rely on ourselves rather than God. And, of course, this always ends well . . . said no one ever. We must trust God when life goes haywire. He’s always in control. His plans for us are always good (But not necessarily easy).

God works uniquely in each of our stories, just as Jesus healed people in individual ways. We see God’s hand and His plan in our lives  when we yield control so He can have His way. It’s easiest to yield control when we stop listening to fear’s lies.

Fear paints a far worse picture of what could happen than how reality plays out. When we listen to fear, we view situations with a “worst case scenario” mindset. But, when we look to God, He works in our circumstances. That doesn’t mean He’ll make everything “all better,” but He moves on our behalf. 

Some days, life still feels out of control. But this I know . . . I don’t have to give in to the pressure fear pushes. I can walk like David, rather than listening to fear’s lies. Because I’m the daughter of One who loves me completely.

And He’s far bigger than fear.

What about you? How have you dealt with fear that came with a “too-big-to-handle” life situation? What has God taught you during times when fear tried to control you?

This song speaks to me about how much we need God in our fearful times. I hope you enjoy it!

Click to Tweet: Fear attempts to gain the upper hand in our thinking, in our hearts

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