When I read Peter’s letters, this thought occasionally occurs to me: “He makes it sound so easy!”
The phrase “fear not” appears more than 70 times in Scripture, with the words “fear” or “afraid” appearing more than 200 times. This apparently was—and continues to be—a topic that bears repeating for all of us. We need constant reminders that our enemy is at work to discourage us, but that we have no true reason to fear when we are living in fellowship with the Lord.
In Peter’s first letter, he implores early Christians under persecution to continue to fight the good fight, do good amid suffering, and remember Christ in everything. But even when we persevere and put on our game face, worry can creep in—especially when your life is being threatened for your faith!
In America, we rarely, if ever, face the type of persecution these early believers suffered. But we still face threats—very real ones. And it’s so easy to focus on the “what ifs” and prematurely fill in the blanks on a story God hasn’t finished yet, instead of fixing our gaze on Jesus—the One who holds us in His hands.
The Apostle Paul wrote several letters to early churches to remind them who they were in Christ. In Philippians, he encouraged believers to combat worry through prayer:
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)
While it makes perfect sense to PRAY instead of WORRYING, it’s tough to let go of worry altogether. Perhaps that’s why Peter offers us another antidote to worry and fear: he tells us to WORSHIP Christ instead of focusing on the threats against us. When Christ becomes the object of our affection and attention, worry, doubt, anxiety, and fear begin to fade away. By baring our soul to the Lord through worship, we lay our problems at His feet and surrender control to Him. This breaks the chains of discouragement and gives us freedom from the emotional prison we’ve been locked in!
