When Jesus gathered his disciples in the Upper Room and spoke of his imminent departure, he reassured them: “Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:6). And again a bit later: “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (14:27).
In other words, fear not. Of course, that’s the negative—and we need help to halt the freight train of fear: how can we stop our anxious hearts from fretting? By positively directing our trust toward Jesus: “Believe in God; believe also in me” (14:1).
The account of Jesus’ meeting with Peter atop the waves of the Sea of Galilee conveys the same point (Matthew 14:28-31): fix your eyes on Jesus; don’t focus attention on the raging storm (or that disease, or the risk of danger, or disappointments—even the disappointments you see in the mirror). Turn your eyes away from those disturbing distractions and look at Jesus. Trust him.
But trust him for what? What is faith in Jesus supposed to yield in our lives? If we trust him, will he take away the pain or the trials of life? He is able to do this, and there are times when he does so. But the norm for us is to carry a cross (Luke 9:23); the norm is to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, not around it: “In this world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33)—there will be “thorns in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) and various afflictions.
And yet, even in the thick of our struggles, the glorious truth is that Jesus is with us every moment (Matthew 28:20); he holds us in his strong shepherding arms (John 10:27-29), and he will gather us together one day into his perfect heavenly home (14:2-3).
Our fear problems are focus problems: Where are you looking? Are the eyes of your heart fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)? Are you making good time to hear, revere, and cherish Jesus’ voice in Scripture? Are you casting your cares on God by regular prayer? And are you giving and getting spiritual encouragement together with other believers? Friends, rivet your soul’s attention on Jesus!
