Introduction

I STILL REMEMBER THE COLD, CLOUDY DAY IN FEBRUARY WHEN I DISCOVERED the breadth of this theme in the Bible. I was feeling overwhelmed with many unfinished tasks and perplexing situations. A sense of panic gripped me and I found myself blurting out a cry to God for help.

To my surprise, God quietly reminded me of Isaiah 43:1-2.

	Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
		I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
	When you pass through the waters,
		I will be with you;
	and when you pass through the rivers,
		they will not sweep over you.
	When you walk through the fire,
		you will not be burned;
		the flames will not set you ablaze.

As I drank up that verse, I remembered other Isaiah "Be not afraid" passages that I had prepared for a recent spring retreat with Northwestern University's Graduate Christian Fellowship. Then, to my even deeper surprise and comfort, I thought I heard God whisper to me, "And the Bible is full of other 'Be not afraid' passages." I immediately went to look up "Do not be afraid" in the concordance. There were dozens of verses!

To help me out of my fear, I studied a different passage each day over the next several months. That daily reflection proved very healing for me. In the fall I enjoyed teaching a ten-week college class at First Presbyterian Church in Evanston entitled "Don't Panic." And then over the next summer, as part of my sabbatical study with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, I was asked by my pastor, David Handley, to write a daily personal and weekly small group study guide to parallel his sermon series, "Do Not Be Afraid." I put together a guide with the help of my wife, Sally, and our friend Holly Hudnut Halliday.

Throughout this time many friends had shared with me how helpful such a study would be for them, so I've created this guide for wider distribution. I'm grateful for their encouragement! And I'm thankful for Sally, who during my periodic states of panic has insightfully reminded me to take to heart these discoveries about God's promises.

Many Facets of Fear

The Bible does not dismiss people facing fear. Instead, God comes again and again to those challenged or discouraged by fear. There is an alarming number of angles from which fear can ambush us. When and where we least suspect it, fear takes hold of us--sometimes for a fleeting moment, other times for a paralyzing length of time. In Scripture we can find almost any type of fear we might face (both external and internal): fear resulting from adventure as well as tragedy; fear of launching a new effort or finishing a never-ending task; fear associated with leadership and responsibility; fear of abandonment and rejection; fear of insecurity and inadequacy; fear of failure and living in vain; fear of feeling stuck with no way out and things going from bad to worse; fear of sickness, death or loss of a loved one; fear of ridicule and revenge; fear of sharing our faith and being stretched in our faith--and the list could go on!

False Assurance, Real Hope

Often when we want to comfort someone who is afraid we say, "Do not be afraid, everything will be okay." Unfortunately, things are not always okay; in fact, they often get worse. And that is when fear is particularly gripping! The Bible takes a strikingly different approach; it also says "Do not be afraid," but adds "because our God comes" (Isaiah 35:3-4; 40:9). What a critical difference! Far better than being told we will not face troubles (a false hope) is being given an inner strength to face those troubles (an enduring hope).

What God can bring into fearful hearts and situations is the key to not being afraid. Paul had it right when he urged the Philippians to "not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7) The writer of Hebrews reminds us, "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'" (Hebrews 13:5).

God Wants to Deliver Us from Fear

In looking ahead to the coming of Jesus, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, declares, "He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David . . . to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days" (Luke 1:69-75). King David recognized that God wants to free us to serve him without fear when he said, "I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4). And the apostle Paul encourages Timothy by reminding him, "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7).

The key, however, to not being afraid is learning to fear God. Again in Psalm 34 David declares,

	"This poor man called, and the LORD heard him,
		he saved him out of all his troubles.
	The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
		and he delivers them.

	Taste and see that the LORD is good;
		blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
	Fear the LORD, you his saints,
		for those who fear him lack nothing. . . .

	Come, my children, listen to me;
		I will teach you the fear of the LORD." (author's italics)

Getting the Most Out of These Studies

If you have never read through the whole Bible, these "Be not afraid" passages will take you from beginning to end, introducing you to many major Bible characters and events. The study starts with Adam and Eve's fear of facing God after disobeying him and ends with the church's longing for trials and tribulations to end. God searches for Adam and Eve, who are hiding in the garden, and does not give up that search for men and women until the very end of this world when he restores his people and places them in a new garden where there is no more fear. Thanks be to God!

Let me invite you to use this study guide in several ways:

• Set aside 10-15 minutes a day to reflect on one day's reading. Each day the introductions, questions and prayer will help you reflect on what the passage says, what it means and what it means for you today. Set aside a place and time that will facilitate a regular meeting with God.
• Participate in a small group Bible study and use the group studies included at the end of each week's readings. This will help you care and pray for each other as you face any number of fears. God's Word used by God's Spirit in the context of God's community is a threefold bond that will serve you well.
• Use the "Weekly Wrap-up" questions at the end of each group study--either on your own or with a group--to review and summarize what you are learning from the daily studies each week.
• Use this guide in family devotions or to prepare for sermons or talks. Note that some weeks can easily stand alone. For example, week nine introduces the seven "be not afraids" of Easter. Week eight covers the "be not afraids" of Christmas. Week two focuses on fear in leadership.
• Be on the lookout for friends at work or school, in your neighborhood or church, from your past or in your family who may be facing fear. Encourage them out of what you are learning. Give them copies to study for themselves.
• Keep in mind that what you learn could be of use to you in the future. You may not be facing a particular fear now; thank God for that. But be alert; part of fear's strength is in its surprise. Your strength lies in knowing the God of peace who says, "When you pass through the waters I will be with you" (Isaiah 43:2, author's italic). Store up God's Word in your heart now for the Spirit to retrieve when needed.

May this study encourage and strengthen you as it has me on many occasions since that dreadful morning in February.

David Ivaska