He feared the people

He feared the people.

Fear is a fickle emotion. It can cause us to go in one direction and then another. Take Herod as a case in point. He had wanted to put John the Baptist to death, but he didn’t because he feared his people, who believed that John was a prophet. But then later, fear moved him to order John’s execution because he didn’t want to offend the guests at his birthday party. Fear, insecurity, mistrust—these seemed to control Herod far more than the Jewish faith he professed.

John the Baptist, on the other hand, was not governed by fear. That doesn’t mean he was never afraid. But his trust in God helped him face his fears and put them in proper perspective. He trusted the God who had called him to be a prophet and who revealed Jesus to him. He trusted the God who provided for him in the desert and sustained him in prison. If God had been so good to him, he thought, he could also trust him in the face of death.

We all face fears—fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of the future, and many others. It’s only human. But fear doesn’t have to control us. We can learn to live as John did, walking with God and trusting him, no matter what may come.

How was John able to overcome his fears? In the desert, he had plenty of time and open space to commune with God. As he came to know God’s love more deeply, John grew in confidence that God had a wonderful plan for his life. And that confidence helped him surrender his fears to his Father and live in trust.

You probably don’t live in the desert, but that doesn’t mean you can’t commune with God each day. It helps to set up your own dedicated time and place—a corner of your room or in front of the Tabernacle at church. Get away from your TV and the Internet, and just sit with the Lord. Let his love fill you with confidence.

God doesn’t want you to act out of fear. The more time you spend in his presence, the more you will come to know and trust him as your heavenly Father. His perfect love for you—for you, personally—really can drive away your fears (1 John 4:18)!

“Father, I trust in you!”

Word Among Us