What to Do When You're Afraid
Exodus 14:10
"And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD."
We are often very hard on the children of Israel, but if the truth be known many Christian's lives mirror these people. We find in the verse above that the children of Israel were afraid that Pharaoh and his army would capture them. Their fear was justified because of the fact that they faced the Red Sea and their memory of Pharaoh was painful. This Pharaoh had increased the burden of their work, and if they did not accomplish what was expected of them, he would beat them. With Pharaoh and his army in pursuit to capture them, you can only imagine the fear that gripped their heart.
Everybody will be afraid at some point in their life. Maybe your fear is over health concerns, situations on the job, finances, marriage problems, problems with your children, or a major development that has arisen in your life. Whatever it is, you must realize that God has the answer to help you while you are afraid. God's Word shows us what to do when we are afraid through the story of the children of Israel facing the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army.
First, pray when you are afraid. The children of Israel cried out to God when they were afraid. Whether or not they knew they were doing the right thing is not the issue, the fact is they knew the One Who could help them in their situation. Too often Christians forget to call out to God for help when a fearful situation arises. It seems that we tend to worry about the situation and then it pops into our mind that we forgot to pray. Prayer should always be your first response to everything, but especially when you are afraid. Don't waste your time worrying about something when prayer will help.
Second, don't retreat when you are afraid. The children of Israel talked about going back to Egypt, which would have been the worst decision they could have made. When you are afraid you should never retreat back to where you were before. Don't ever undo in doubt a decision you made by faith. Certainly fear may be in your heart, but retreat should never be an option. You may think going back will be better, but your fear has caused you to forget the heartache of the past. Giving up and going back to the world will only bring greater heartache. Whatever you do, don't retreat!
Third, don't complain when you are afraid. The children of Israel were famous for complaining which did nothing for their situation. Christian, you can complain all you want, but complaining has not changed one situation. Complaining about your situation is simply telling God that you don't agree with what He has allowed in your life. God has something great for you, so instead of complaining you should praise God for what you do have.
Fourth, go forward when you are afraid. In verse 15, God showed the children of Israel that going forward will take care of their fears. The best action you could perform when you are afraid is to go forward. Sitting down and doing nothing will do nothing about your fears, but going forward is the way to have victory over your fears.
When you do these things you will see God work for you. The children of Israel saw God part the Red Sea and their fears disappear when they followed these steps. Likewise, you will find that these steps will cause your fears to eventually disappear. Remember, God is big enough to handle your situation; so, don't be afraid.