Fear is the Absence of God

I remember a friend of mine saying this to me years ago and it was one of those big, resonant moments for me - the kind where I felt the vibration of truth and knowing deep in my soul. I’ll talk more about that resonance in a future post about Spirituality vs. Religion. 

Fear is the absence of God.

Think about it. God is love and light and all things good, right? What is your faith in God? That God has your back? That you are safe and protected with God?

How about some Bible verses to back that up?

Isaiah 54:17 NIV

17 no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me," declares the Lord.

Isaiah 41:10-12 NIV

10 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. 11 "All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.

Psalm 23:1-7 NIV

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lordforever.

Psalm 121:7-8 NIV

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

I probably don’t need to go on, but there’s plenty more. A while back, in the midst of the pandemic, I saw what appeared to be a mother and daughter taking a walk on a beautiful sunny morning, on the sidewalk in front of my house. Both wearing masks.

I have mixed feelings about the mask thing, which I won’t get into here because it’s one of those controversial subjects that come with “proof” on both sides. Kind of like the metaphor about the two blind people who are placed by an elephant, one at the head and one at a leg, and both offer descriptions that are completely different, even though they’re describing the same animal. It’s not an argument worth having because no matter what, nobody will be right and nobody will be wrong. However, I have strong feelings about masks outdoors. You’re breathing in your own carbon dioxide, rather than the fresh, God-given oxygen necessary for your health.

This, to me, is a perfect example of Fear being the absence of God. When you trust that God is with you, that God is true, that God’s protection is all around you, then what is there to fear? Nothing, right? Wearing that mask outside, blocking your lungs from the fresh air that God put all around you, is a symbol of fear, in my opinion. (I’m eliminating the examples of masking your face from allergens while mowing grass or during intense cold.) If you don’t have allergies or you’re not in harsh elements, why would you choose to breathe in your own carbon dioxide and whatever else your body is eliminating, rather than the fresh oxygen God surrounded you with that your body needs?

I could travel pretty far down the fear rabbit hole in regards to the pandemic, but, let’s not talk about pandemic topics, because those can trigger heated emotions (and I’d like to analyze that heat in a later post, so hang tight, it’ll be fun :D).

For now, let’s talk in general. What are some things we fear in our life? We fear losing a job, or not having enough money to keep our lights on or to feed our family. We fear a relationship ending, or being alone. We fear injury. We fear harm or death of loved ones. We fear death in general.

Why? How often does that fear prevent you from truly living your life, or hold you back from greater opportunities, or keep you stuck in less-than-ideal situations?

What if losing your job means you just opened the door to getting a better one? What if the end of a relationship sets you free to discover your true individuality and personal power, or clears the way to have an even better relationship with someone new? I know injury and death are deeper, scarier matters, but injuries heal and life adapts and evolves, and death is inevitable. Fear of death is something a lot of people have, that I’ve never quite understood. But that’s also another topic for a separate post. For now, if you believe in an afterlife with God, what is there to fear?

I’ll take this a step further. Fear is the absence of your own personal trust in God, and the role God plays in your life. If you are true to your faith, then all of those bible verses I posted above should hold true, right? Meaning nothing can harm you, nothing can ruin you, nothing can bring you down or stand in your way, when you fully trust that God is protecting you. So if you fully trust that God is with you, then there is nothing to fear, right? So, fear = the absence of God, or a distrust in God’s protection.

Think about that the next time you feel afraid of something. Feel that fear. Where is it coming from? What triggered it? Why is it there? Then ask yourself, where is my God? Do I have full faith God is with me, protecting me, keeping me safe? If the answer is yes, then think back on your fear again. If God is with you, protecting you, is that fear necessary? No? Then live your life with joy!

But if the answer is no, you don’t have full faith God is with you, protecting you and keeping you safe, then you might have some work to do on your spiritual growth. And that’s up to you - do you want to continue to live in fear? Or do you want to live a life of joy and freedom?