What Does the Bible Say About Fear?

Fear is one of the most universal human experiences, and the Bible addresses it more than almost anything else — some form of 'fear not' appears hundreds of times. Here's what Scripture teaches about fear, and how faith answers it.

Fear is not from God

The Bible distinguishes the crippling kind of fear from God's gifts: 'For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.' The controlling, paralysing fear that grips us doesn't come from our Father; he offers instead power, love, and a clear mind.

The antidote is God's presence

The Bible's answer to fear is rarely 'be braver'; it's usually God's presence. 'Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee.' We overcome fear less by summoning courage and more by remembering who is with us.

Turn fear into trust

We may not stop fear from rising, but we can decide what to do with it. The psalmist said, 'What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.' Every fear can become a prompt to turn to God. Fear redirected into trust loses its grip.

The right kind of fear

Interestingly, the Bible commends one kind of fear: the 'fear of the LORD' — a reverent awe of God. This holy fear actually drives out lesser fears, because when God is big in our eyes, our threats grow small. Rightly fearing God frees us from being ruled by fear of anything else.

The Bible teaches that crippling fear is not from God, that his presence is the true antidote, that we can turn our fears into trust, and that a reverent fear of God frees us from every lesser fear. Fear is part of being human, and Scripture never shames it — it simply meets it with something bigger: the nearness of a God who is with us, and greater than anything we face.