How Faith Is the Opposite of Fear
By Sarah Frazer
Bible Reading
“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.” Hebrews 11:23 (ESV)
“Have courage every single day.” The plaque my mother had gifted me sat on the windowsill right in front of my kitchen sink. I looked at it every day, and sometimes a tear would slide down my cheeks into the soapy water as I washed the dishes. I didn’t feel like having courage. Fear of the future and the unknown consumed my thoughts.
Going through a hard year with our family taught me many things, but one of the most powerful lessons I learned was that the opposite of fear wasn’t courage but faith. Faith is where we find the courage to keep going. When I think about my own story, which includes adoption, I also think about the story of one of the great heroes of the Bible: Moses. Moses was adopted by the pharaoh’s daughter when he was a baby.
Moses is one of those men who will be always known for his amazing acts of bravery and courage. He faced the Pharaoh and miraculously led the people of Israel out of slavery from Egypt. He wrote the first five books of our Bible. Stories like the Red Sea parting, manna in the wilderness, and the Ten Commandments are accredited to Moses.
Those parts of his life, although amazing, are not what resonates these days in my heart. The part of Moses’ story I see in my own story isn’t about him but his mother. The Bible says in Exodus 2:3, “When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.”
Can you imagine how she felt when she gave her baby up? I think she felt afraid, but instead of being remembered for her fear, she is remembered for her faith. Hebrews 11:23 says, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.”
In Exodus 6:20 we find out that her name was Jochebed. There have been times in my life where I’ve prayed: “God, I don’t know what you have planned for my life. This situation feels so hard, painful, and filled with grief. But I want to trust you. So I will try and trust you.”
In Exodus 2:1-10 we read her story. I can imagine, as she placed her baby in the basket, she didn’t feel brave. But she put him in there. The author of Hebrews said she was not afraid of the king’s command to kill all of the male children. Why? Because of her faith. Each day, she chose to keep her baby alive. She chose faith.
When we face each day, even when we feel afraid, we can step forward. One step at a time, we can take our fear by the hand and go confidently in faith. Each day, we have a choice to give in to fear or to step forward in faith. We can choose faith, too.
Maybe you are thinking that your faith is too small. You might think that the fear is too big, but it isn’t about our faith at all. It is all about Who we have our faith in. The Object of our faith is God, the all-powerful, all-loving God of the universe! Jochebed knew that God was bigger than all the fears. God was bigger than the Pharaoh. God was bigger than the river. God was bigger than the uncertain future. She had faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
When Jochebed comes to the river, she doesn’t cast away her son. Instead of tossing away her child-like garbage, she intentionally and deliberately surrenders him to it. The basket was prepared ahead of time, carefully constructed with tar and a tight weave. It would not leak or sink. Jochebed prepared a place for Moses to be safe. In a sense, she obeyed the king’s edict as she put her son in the river. Instead of throwing him away, she gave him over to God. She surrendered her plans for herself, her son, and the future. Faith allows us to give our plans to God.
Choosing to have faith in God means we hand our fears over to God and He will meet us right there. The opposite of fear is not courage, but faith. Even a small faith placed in a big God allows us to move forward. Have confidence in the things that are “unseen,” knowing that God is very real and present in your life.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What feels so scary right now in your life? How can faith in God bring you courage? What do you need to do as a “next step” to push through the fear you hold?
Further Reading:
Isaiah 41:10
Psalm 27:1
John 14:27
Deuteronomy 31:6
Psalm 56:3-4
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/demaerre
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