How do you worship when fear tries to take over your heart? For insight, look at the disciples when they were in a storm and Jesus was right there with them.
“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’” (Matthew 8:23-25).
Jesus got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed and said, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (8:27).
When you have big waves and little faith, you’re going to have fear problems, but if you have big waves and big faith, then you know God’s got this. So, when you’re in a turbulent moment, whether it’s on a plane or a boat or wherever you are, remember that fear is not from God. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Every single day we need love, power and a sound mind. But when fear comes, it removes those things. The opposite of power is weakness; the opposite of love is not hate but selfishness; and the opposite of a sound mind is a brain full of irrational thoughts.
When fear strikes, we usually are not understanding who is right in front of us — Jesus! A believer’s faith can never rise higher than who he sees God to be. When we see God for who he actually is — how great he is — then our faith begins to rise and fear begins to dissolve.
Isaiah says, “Lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid … Behold your God!” (Isaiah 40:9). He is saying, “Those of you who fear, your God is here! This is who he is. This is what he looks like.” And he looks mighty impressive! “[He] has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand” (40:12). Two-thirds of this planet is covered with water and at places the water goes eight miles deep. According to scientists, the total volume of water on planet Earth is incalculable — too many gallons to even express. And our God holds that water in the hollow of his hand.
“[He] measured heaven with a span” (49:12). Consider the span of your hand — from the tip of the pinky finger to the tip of your thumb. Our God is so big that he measures the universe with his hand. So, consider that the next time you are tempted to fear. Think of the hollow and the span and remember the bigness of your God. Then shout with Isaiah, “Here is my God!”
After pastoring an inner-city congregation in Detroit for thirty years, Pastor Tim served at Brooklyn Tabernacle in NYC for five years and pastored in Lafayette, Louisiana, for five years. He became Senior Pastor of Times Square Church in May of 2020.