It seems like people are just fearful these days.  Fearful and anxious. And religious people are about as fearful as any of them.  Sometimes I wonder if they are more so. But, God tells us repeatedly in the scriptures to not fear.  Indeed, some claim that this is the most repeated command in the Holy Scriptures.

But, we also learn that “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

So, what can we do to be less fearful?

1.    Trust God More – We read in the scriptures that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).  Here are some things we know about God’s love for those who trust in Him and keep His commandments:

He has good things in store for us – For truly “[e]ye hath not seen … the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him,” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

He will take care of our needs – Yes, “consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:25-31)

He will forgive our sins and mistakes – He tells us: “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” in Hebrews 8:12.

He will be our defender “The Lord is our defense,” Psalms 89:18.

He will make it up to us when we have hard times – I love the promise in the famous Beatitude – “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted, Matt. 5:4

He will work miracles for us – In the Bible we read that “All things are possible to him that believeth” Mark 9:23 – Do we believe this?  Do we believe that God is a God of miracles? Do we believe that He has the power to do anything for us, if it be according to His will?

He knows us and will not forget us – For “are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten unto God? … Fear not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”  He knows us. He will not forget us.

AND even when we falter, even when we fail, ALL things [including our mistakes] will work together for our good (See Romans 8:28).

How can we not trust a God who can do things like this for us?  Who has made these kinds of promises. We should put more faith in Him.

2.    Prepare More Completely – With all of this, there is still the age old grace and works balance.  Instead of being immobilized as we prepare for tough situations we need to do our part.  Scripture tells us “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). So, trusting in God does not abdicate our responsibility.  Indeed, there is no better way to yoke ourselves with God than to do what little we can to solve our own problems. We need to show him our faith by moving forward and doing something.  Then we can expect a miracle.

    I have a terrible fear of heights.  A couple of years ago I tried to climb a difficult mountain in our area with my family.  My fear was so bad that at one point on the trail I became immobilized by a fairly standard drop off.  And we never completed the climb because of my trepidation about the summit.

   Then I went to Switzerland on a family trip. This was the homeland of my great-grandparents and my ancestors, including a famous Swiss mountain guide.  There I also met Brigithe, my relative who was a ski instructor at St. Moritz. She loved adventure, she loved mountain biking races and she even told me “flat is boring.”  She and her family took us on a little trip to prove this point – a narrow one-way road through the winding alps with sheer thousand feet drops on one side – on which we drove our thirteen passenger van!  This was following an earlier hike on Mount Pilatus where I watched my children leap along a trail with sheer drops that were breathtaking and terrifying.

   I came back home and we completed the climb including scaling the rocky summit.  Why? Because I had been forced to practice. And practicing took away my fear.

“Flat is boring!”  We need to be challenging ourselves and working hard to prepare to meet the challenges of our day.

So, let’s conquer our fears head on.  Let’s trust God more, prepare more, and make the choice to not fear.