When Fear Comes Knocking: How to Banish Fear Before It Settles In

Jerusha: I’m delighted to introduce you to my good friend and fellow writer, Amy Renaud! In honor of Amy’s visit and her story of world travel, I’m offering a print copy of Cathy Gohlke’s Secrets She Kept to one of you (the heroine travels to Germany in this story). So read on and leave a comment after the post to enter the giveaway!

By Amy Renaud

In my early to mid twenties, I worked as the missions coordinator for my church. I travelled to many countries, often with teams, sometimes on my own.

For the most part, I had faith I can’t really put into words. It was like an anointing carried me and I literally felt God’s protection going with me, before me, all around me.

But sometimes the reality of what I was doing would set in. How I was entrusting my safety and well-being to people I barely knew…or didn’t know at all, except through others.

Like the time a friend sent someone to pick me up in Antigua, Guatemala. He would be driving a described car and had green eyes. Granted, green eyes are quite uncommon there.

Guatemala was the main country I travelled to. I was there for a month in 2010, and in that time, a volcano blew (10 km from where I stayed), a massive sink hole…sunk?…a tropical storm hit, and there were rats…in the kitchen.

And cockroaches in my room.

Oh, and because of the volcano, the airport closed for two weeks. I was literally stranded in Guatemala.

Sometimes I had great faith. And sometimes fear came knocking.

Hard.

But I had no choice but to rely on the Lord.

My army boyfriend, whom I chatted with on my trusty burner phone (any cop show fans out there?) during the tropical storm, couldn’t do anything to help me.

By the way, said boyfriend racked up a cell bill of $600 that month. Said boyfriend became my husband the following summer.

I couldn’t rely on my pastors or my parents (shout out to my mom and dad who prayed and prayed for me). I couldn’t rely on a human being, even though I made so many wonderful friends who became like family through my travels.

I had to rely on God.

His protection. His wisdom. His voice.

On another trip, I stayed somewhere that didn’t feel quite right. I stacked my luggage against the door so I would hear if anyone entered the room.

Maybe I was paranoid. Fear was definitely knocking.

And my luggage certainly wouldn’t actually protect me if something—or someone—was at the door. But a girl’s gotta sleep, you know.

I can’t say exactly where in the world I was when I got the most fear-defying revelation I could have needed or wanted.

That God was able to protect me. He was and is able to keep me safe.

But even if He didn’t, I was still going to serve Him. It was like I could see, picture, even feel this scene from the book of Daniel:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar,

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” – Daniel 3:16b-18

As an army wife, this revelation has needed to make a comeback.

And now, with COVID-19 surfacing, again I had to say, “God, I know you can protect me and my loved ones. But even if you don’t, I will still serve you. I will not bow to fear.”

And I was afraid. When COVID-19 started spreading around the world, I was terrified at first.

Fear came knocking, and I let it in. The anxiety that took over my first time in a grocery store in the midst of this pandemic…yes, I let fear in.

And you know what? I don’t want to be driven by fear anymore.

The voice of God? Definitely. Wisdom? Absolutely.

I know how paralyzing fear can be. I have struggled with fear so much in my life that it astounds me how I was able to travel the world as a young woman. Who was she anyway?

I have had to borrow faith from that girl in this season.

Because I am done bowing to fear.

I believe God is walking around in the fire with us, as His church, just as he did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 3:25).

We are not alone. Yes, we are “all in this together.” But even better than that, is this:

God is in this with us.

When fear comes knocking…I know exactly Who to let answer the door.

How do you respond when fear comes knocking? Have you overcome any of your fears with faith? Please share!

Photos by Siora Photography, Frank Eiffert, and Ibrahim Rifath on Unsplash. Original graphics designed by Jerusha Agen.

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Amy Renaud creates fictional tales of faith, hope, and love…from way back when.

Other than writing, Amy loves spending time with her family, singing, reading and making tasty treats in the kitchen. Or all of those things simultaneously while drinking coffee and eating chocolate.

Amy is an army wife and resides in Eastern Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two sons.

Follow Amy on social media: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook or on her website at amyrenaudauthor.com.

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In honor of Amy’s many travels, I’m giving away a novel about a heroine’s journey to find her past in Germany–Cathy Gohlke’s Secrets She Kept (a Christy Award and Carol Award winner!) . For your chance to win a print copy of this story, simply leave a comment below! (Giveaway ends June 22, 2020. Winner must have continental U. S. mailing address.)

Secrets She Kept

All her life, Hannah Sterling longed for a close relationship with her estranged mother. Following Lieselotte’s death, Hannah determines to unlock the secrets of her mother’s mysterious past and is shocked to discover a grandfather living in Germany.

Thirty years earlier, Lieselotte’s father is quickly ascending the ranks of the Nazi party, and a proper marriage for his daughter could help advance his career. Lieselotte is in love—but her beloved Lukas is far from an ideal match, as he secretly works against the Reich. Yet Lieselotte never imagined how far her father would go to ensure her cooperation.

Both Hannah’s and Lieselotte’s stories unfold as Hannah travels to Germany to meet her grandfather, who is hiding wartimes secrets of his own. Longing for connection, yet shaken by all she uncovers, Hannah must decide if she can atone for her family’s tragic past and how their legacy will shape her future.