I opened my eyes as I was jostled in my dad’s arms. He carried me downstairs to the basement where a crack of thunder jolted me awake.
“Is there a tornado?” I looked at my mom for an answer as Dad set me down on the sofa.
Mom covered me with a warm afghan and smiled. “There’s nothing to worry about. We’re safe in the basement. Just go back to sleep, and it will all be over when you wake up.”
My parents’ relaxed demeanor and comforting tones pushed the sound of thunder and fierce wind to the background. I drifted back to sleep, confident that Mom and Dad could keep me safe from the raging storm.
Those were the days. In time, I grew older and wiser—perceptive enough to detect the worry and fear my parents had been able to hide when I was younger. I grew cognizant of the reality that my parents can’t actually protect me from storms, either weather-related or storms of life.
With these realizations came the loss of the sense of safety that had enabled me to peacefully sleep through danger as a child. Fear grew within me, not just of thunderstorms, but of life’s dangers and problems that my parents can’t always keep at bay.
Some people would argue that many of those fears aren’t bad. So-called “natural” fears like being afraid of tornadoes, fire, or scorpions are labeled healthy instead of sinful—touted as instinctive fears that ensure our survival through warning us of danger. By that argument, my anxiety while driving in treacherous road conditions as I had to do last August was normal and healthy.
So if I was in a boat at sea and a vicious storm blew in, rocking my boat with every real possibility of ending my life, I wouldn’t be wrong to be afraid. I would just be a normal person with a healthy response to danger, right?
That’s not what Jesus says.
His disciples were out in a boat when a powerful storm came and raged about them, waves crashing over their vessel. They were definitely in danger. And they were terrified.
But Jesus Himself was in the boat with them.
He wasn’t afraid. He didn’t display a “natural” response to danger. No, He was sleeping.
When the disciples roused Him in a panic, with what many would call a reasonable belief that they were going to die, He didn’t tell them that being afraid was okay. He didn’t say they were right to be afraid of the real danger they were in. He didn’t tell them they were responding with a healthy instinct that was meant to keep them safe from danger.
Instead, He dismantled their fear with a simple, pointed, soul-stripped-bare question:
“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26)
As He always did and always does, Jesus went immediately to the heart of the matter. The disciples’ fear was not acceptable, not okay or right, healthy or normal. Like all fear except that of God, their fear of the great storm stemmed from a lack of faith.
If they truly believed in God—believed that He is good, that He controls everything (including the weather), that He is merciful, and that nothing could happen to them outside of His perfect will—then they would have had no fear.
If they had believed in Jesus Christ, Who at that very moment was with them in the boat, they would not have feared even if the storm had capsized the vessel and plunged them to their deaths.
I look at the disciples in this story and judge them as ridiculously faithless. Jesus is right there in the boat with you! I think to myself. If He was in a boat with me, I wouldn’t be scared.
But Jesus IS in the boat with me.
He who promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), was with me in the car as I drove on dangerous roads. He was with me every time I’ve a near-miss with tornadoes, lightning, and other physical dangers. He’s with me every time I go through a different kind of storm—the turmoil of conflict, death, betrayal, loss, and tragedy.
If you know Christ and belong to Him, Jesus is in your boat, too. Through each and every storm you face in life, He’s right there with you. His fearless peace is yours through the Holy Spirit inside you.
So don’t believe Satan’s lie that your fear of snakes, hurricanes, heights, or whatever such anxiety plagues you is “healthy” or “natural.” The Bible tells us that such fears are wrong. We can recognize danger without needing to fear it. In fact, Scripture tells us over and over again not to fear danger of any kind.
When we face danger, Jesus calls us to faith instead of fear. He calls us to truly believe and live what we say we believe—that our God is greater than all dangers that confront us and that He will bring about His plans for our lives, “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11b).
In his powerful little book, Fearless Faith, Jonathan Stephen shares a verse from “Begone, Unbelief,” a hymn by John Newton that was previously unknown to me. But since reading the lyrics in Stephen’s book, I’ve taken to reciting them in my mind when assaulted by fear. I’d like to share them with you now in the hope that they will also strengthen your faith as you fight against fear of the storms you face.
Begone, unbelief!
My Saviour is near,
And for my relief
Will surely appear;
By prayer let me wrestle,
And He will perform;
With Christ in the vessel,
I smile at the storm.
— John Newton, “Begone, Unbelief”
Do you struggle with a recurring fear of something dangerous? What do you do to defeat such fears? Please share!
Comments 13
I couldn’t agree more! Thanks for the encouraging post.
It reminds me of David’s words in Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil.” Even evil things should not warrant our fear. If that’s the case, then why should things that are not inherently evil (like storms, tornadoes, or other natural phenomenon) make us fear? If we are in Christ Jesus, then we have nothing to fear in life or in death.
Author
Well said, MJ! In my daily Bible-reading, I actually just read through Psalm 23 and was struck by that verse you shared. David’s God-ordained words there really drive home the point that we are not to fear any evil, even things that may seem “reasonable” to fear. Of course, putting that into practice is a difficult and ongoing process, but it starts with recognizing the truth about fear. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Great post, Jerusha! Loved the points you brought out!
Author
Thanks, Rachel! Thanks for stopping by!
As soon as you said, “so what if I was in a boat at sea…” I knew where you were heading and I smiled. You nailed it! So much of what Scripture teaches us is counter-intuitive. I read once that when Paul writes about “the flesh” vs. the Spirit, that phrase can be understood as “what comes naturally”. Living in the Spirit means acting counter to what comes naturally. Anger, fear, selfishness, lust…all ‘natural’ feelings. Pinning this..I think I’ll be using it for a ladies class sometime..great resource!
Author
You’re so right, Susan. In this fallen world we live in, people excuse so many sins as “natural,” thinking that makes those sins right. But because of our fallen flesh, sin is what comes naturally to us! Thanks for your great insight, and thank you so much for sharing and considering for a ladies’ class!
Great writing as always, Jerusha! The introduction really sucked me into the vortex of your powerful article. (Like a tornado? Wink.) I’ve never really considered that even our “natural” fears are sinful; so thanks for exposing Satan’s lie.
Being afraid is so easy! When I read the story of the disciples in the boat, I too often think how foolish they were to be frightened. Yet, if I had been with the twelve, guess who would have been yanking Jesus out of a peaceful sleep?
Author
Yep, I would’ve been doing the same thing, Katie! I’m so thankful that this post drew you in and helped you become aware of one of Satan’s lies. I believed that one for a long time, too. It’s amazing to think how many of his lies I’m probably still buying without realizing it. But I know God will expose them one by one. And He will continue to give us all we need to fight against our inclination to fear instead of trust. Thanks for joining the conversation, Katie! Always great to hear from you.
Ever since the 2020 tornadoes that touched down in Cookeville Tennessee, I hate tornadoes, but I pray every time I hear about warnings and ask God to keep his hands over us all
Incredible article. This is an article I definitely needed to read. I have had a fear of weather most of my life. My fear started from when I lived with my Grandmother who was also terrified of the weather. I have really been struggling with this as an adult now because I catch myself looking at weather reports and watching radar to find when storms are coming. And then I sit and worry about the possibility of severe of weather. Jerusha what helped you most to overcome fear of weather. I really want to conquer this fear once and for all because it has been such a struggle for me. God has blessed me so much in my life and I feel like I am letting him and my family down everytime I get so afraid when bad weather is coming.
Author
Hi, Danny– I apologize for my delay in seeing your comment, but thanks for sharing your heart and your struggle. It’s one I can relate to very well, also having struggled with fears of storms and natural disasters for most of my life. I have not beaten this fear yet, but the Lord is enabling me to battle the fear and make great progress in the fight against it. He can help you, too! Many of my best tips are found in this article you read. When we worry and fear about the weather (and anything else), we need to expose our fears for what they are–a lack of faith and trust in God. We need to repent of our unbelief and lack of faith and then ask God to give us strong faith!
And we also need to saturate ourselves in Scripture. I have Scripture cards with God’s powerful promises for us. I can memorize these verses and take the cards with me everywhere I go. Or you could post them on your computer so you read God’s truth instead of looking at the weather report.
I’d also encourage you to discipline yourself to STOP checking the weather. That is fuel for your particular fear and it’s giving Satan a foothold to keep you captive with that fear. Every time you want to check to the weather, recite or read a Bible verse instead. And/or pray instead. Fear is a habit just like many of our besetting sins. You have to break the pattern now. The Bible tells us to avoid and flee temptation. That means we shouldn’t go where we know we’ll be tempted or let ourselves get into situations where we know we’ll be tempted. So you may need to remove weather apps from your phone and not let yourself use the TV or computers to check the weather.
And then when bad weather does come, that’s when you need to heavily arm yourself with the Armor of God. Keep your Bible with you and did into reading it. Pray without ceasing. Sing hymns. Perhaps sing or recite the line from the John Newton hymn quoted in this article. Remember Jesus in the storm, His power over the storm, and His comfort in the storm. He is with you, too.
I hope this helps! I’d also encourage you to read more of the backlist posts here at the Fear Warrior Blog. Praying for you, that God will enable you to beat your fear of dangerous weather. Sometimes, beating our fears takes time. But we mustn’t be complacent or allow the fear to fester unchallenged. Continue to fight, knowing that God has already won and you WILL conquer this fear through His power.
I’m curious about this and also need to deal with my fear of the weather. I understand not looking obsessively at weather apps but don’t you also need to be aware? Are these apps not tools that God has provided so that we can be safe? And if so how do we deal with fear when what the apps tell us doesn’t look so great?