The story that taught me to have faith bigger than my fears happened many years ago. Growing up, all my relatives lived overseas. I remember flying in prop planes across the ocean to visit my family. I loved flying, that is until one day in the 1970s. My mom and I flew from Belfast to Scotland to visit an aunt and uncle. The flight occurred during the height of “The Troubles” in Ireland. We heard a tremendous bang halfway through the trip, and the aircraft dropped thousands of feet. Several people on the flight passed out during the free fall. It all happened so quickly. But, the terrorizing moment remained etched in my mind. I developed a fear of flying after that event.
Prayer for a Faith Bigger than My Fears
Years later, I continued to fly because I love to travel. My white knuckles provided a visible reminder of my fear as I waited for the worst to happen. But then I felt God call me into mission work. These trips sometimes meant remote locations accessible only by tiny prop planes, which I dreaded the most. If I walked out on the tarmac and saw a prop plane, my heart thumped in my chest as my hands trembled. Sometimes, I felt almost paralyzed by the fear gripping my body. I questioned God; why do you keep calling me when you know my terror of flying? But the real question needed to be; How can I have faith bigger than my fears?
Bible Verses on Fear
God understands our fears. In fact, God offers us some version of “Fear Not,” 365 times in the Bible. So that is one for every day of the year. But, instead of giving in to our fears, He invites us to trust Him. I won’t list all of them, but here are a few of my favorites that help me make my faith bigger than my fears:
- Isaiah 41:10 (NIV); “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
- Matthew 10:31 (NIV); “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
- Hebrews 13:6 (NIV); “So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
- Psalm 46:1 (NIV); “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
- Philippians 4:6 (NIV); “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Fear Causes Doubts
Besides making us anxious, our fears can also keep us from fulfilling God’s plans for our lives. With God, everything is possible, but our fears cause us to doubt Him at His word. For example, the Apostle Peter trusted God enough to ask to walk on water with Jesus in Matthew 14:22-33. But, as fear crept in, Peter sank into the waves. “31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” I believe fear made Peter doubt. So, how does fear cause you to doubt what God can do in your life?
Change is Not Easy
These words make it appear easy to give up our fears, but it can be a struggle. So how do I start to give up something that has plagued me for years? For me, my fear of flying began again each time the turbulence started. I prayed for God to stop the turbulence, but that did not always happen. I doubted Him. Finally, one day I changed my prayer to, “Lord, take the fear away and increase my faith in You.” I needed to make my faith bigger than my fears. Slowly, I felt a change. With perseverance, I released my doubt to God. Now, I can fly without fear in the pit of my stomach. Now, my faith is bigger than my fears.
Testing Our Trust
Also, learning to trust your fears to Him sometimes will come with a test. For me, the first few mission trips after I prayed for God to change me came with a lot of prop planes and turbulence. But, I repeated my prayer often and found that my heart did not race and my hands did not sweat anymore. God gave me His peace because I trusted Him instead of fearing my surroundings. My faith became bigger than my fears at that moment. And, He can do the same thing for each of us.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Make Faith Bigger than My Fears
The world today wants us to fear everything. We fear those who are different or think differently from us. We fear the pandemic, climate change, and losing our financial stability. c Learn to pray for God to make your faith bigger than your fears and see what happens.
Prayer
Dear Lord, I want a faith bigger than my fears. Teach me how to surrender my fears to You and trust in Your ways. Please give me Your peace that transcends understanding in all my circumstances. Thank You for all You do in my life. I worship You and love You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Do you need prayer? I would love to pray for you. Submit your prayer request on my website at https://yvonne-morgan.com/submit-your-prayer-request-here/
Grace and Peace to you,
Yvonne M. Morgan is a Christian #author, #blogger, and #speaker. #BibleGatewayPartner
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
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Amen and Amen Ms. Yvonne. Such a poignant and timely post ma’am. It seems things to elicit fear are cropping up multiple times a day lately. What a great example; both of how you sought to overcome your fear of flying and how God kept testing you to help you grow stronger in your faith. Loved this post ma’am! Thank you!
Thanks JD. I pray to continue to finds ways to keep my fears away and God closer. God bless
There is fear of the unknown, and fear of the known. I pray we all will seek Him and rest in His comfort when fear tries to enter our thoughts. Great message.
Our enemy, Satan, uses fear to doubt God and He uses this tool so well. Thanks Melissa
Thank you for your transparency, Yvonne.
Fear can be paralyzing, especially if it’s rooted in a past experience.
In those times, I keep reminding myself that if I’ve trusted the Lord for eternity, surely He can be trusted for the next 5 minutes, hour, etc.!
Good idea too. We just need to learn to release our fears. Thanks Ava.
I went to Asia on a mission trip with a team member who feared flying. She got through our 13 hour flight very well. Satan does all he can to keep us from God’s will and work. Trust leads us forward. Great post!
Trust is such a key and understanding who is causing the fear. Amen. Thanks Nancy.
Amen to this! I too try so hard to push myself beyond my (MANY) fears… flying included… because I don’t want my own anxiety to get in the way of God’s plan. You said it so well. Great piece!
Thanks Jessica. And when I push beyond myself, God is there so with so many amazing adventures. God bless.
The Lord allowed double calamities just as the pandemic hit. That led to sleepless nights as I worried over my loved ones who were harmed. Finally, one day, like you, I changed my prayer to one like you prayed. The Lord strengthened me!
Amen. He will help us change. Thanks for sharing. God bless Melinda.
This is such an important message for today! Thank you for sharing your real life experience with fear and how the Lord helped you lean into Him through prayer. Following my severe auto accident, I still struggle with fears of being hit by another car. Little by little, the Lord is covering me in His peace. I began praying, “Thank you, God. Even if I don’t live another minute, you have sustained my life until now. And you have promised me a future in heaven.” A prayer of gratitude has helped me.
Another beautiful way to handle fear. We need to learn to recognize it and find a way to surrender it to God. Thanks Melissa.
So good insight, Yvonne. Fear will never take our circumstances away! We can be fearful in the what-ifs or fearless in Christ.
Amen Karen. We truly can be fearful in the what-ifs or fearless in Christ. Thank you