The Power of Fear

Do you remember the last time you were afraid? I mean really afraid. Maybe it was the time someone tricked you into riding a thrill ride and by the time you realized it was too late to get off. Maybe it was something not so silly, but very serious and extremely frightening. Do you remember what that felt like? It’s the kind of feeling that could stop you in your tracks. It could paralyze you from making decisions. It could even be the very thing that makes you afraid to step out the front door or take a step one foot in front of the other. The truth is, we all feel fear at one time or another. The question isn’t how do we stop feeling it. The question is how do we deal with it.

After Jesus had died, the disciples found themselves in the exact same position. Everything they knew was not gone. The life they left to be with Jesus was essentially dead with him. What do they do now? Fearing for their own safety after a very hostile situation. So what did they do? They hid away. Afraid and alone. But it wouldn’t remain that way. The gospel writer John writes that on the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord (John 20:19-20 NIV). In their fear, Jesus came to them. He showed them that He still lives and that everything had changed. So much so that as we move into Luke's account in Acts, we see a very different Peter and John. The crowd who witnessed these two disciples speak couldn’t believe it was the same men. When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13 NIV). So what changed to take them from fearful to courageous? Only one thing. They had been with Jesus. His very Spirit working inside of the disciples gave them the courage to move and overcome the fear that once held them.

The same is true for every believer today. The celebration of the resurrection isn’t the end of a church calendar. It’s the beginning of something greater for each of us. We may be going through something right now that’s hard. At times we might be afraid. But Jesus has promised to be with us. And our worship of Him changes how we see our circumstances. The greater the storm, the louder our song will be. Battles may roar, but we sing from victory. Darkness will tremble, prison walls are gonna shake 'cause fear has no power when we worship [His] name… The enemy knows what your name is and scatters when we're giving [Him] our praises. The only overcomer of the grave is Jesus (Phil Wickham, Fear Has No Power). Fear doesn’t get the final word today. Jesus has risen! And we can walk in that assurance through whatever the storms of life bring us. Jesus has won the day!