A lot of our fears are based on feelings, not facts. When we look beyond our fears and think about the things that lie beneath them, we can understand them a bit better. For example, if we were raised in poverty we may be afraid to be generous. If we were abandoned we may be afraid to trust anyone, or we may try to control other people. If we were constantly criticised we may be afraid that God won’t forgive us. If we don’t feel beautiful or intelligent, or we’re not from a high-class family, we may be afraid to mix with people or talk to them in case they look down on us. We can fear being rejected by others and by God. But all of these fears come down to one issue: identity. When we don’t know who we are in Christ, we fear what other people think of us. We fear what God thinks of us. We think we’ve got to do everything ourselves, that we have to face everything alone, and that can cause us to feel afraid. David realised that God was his source of self-worth and security: ‘I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.’ And it’s the same for us. We’re fearfully and marvellously created. We have a loving Father who promises to always be with us. Our past is forgiven, our future is planned. We can turn to Him in prayer with all our anxieties, and He promises us peace. The Bible says: ‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). So when we know we have God’s approval, and we know our identity is in Him, our fears begin to quieten.
