Day 6 - A Fear of Fears

What is a Glossophobia?

It is a fear of public speaking. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, “In anticipation of speaking in public, a person with glossophobia can experience a dry mouth, weak voice and uncontrollable body shaking.”

The reason that I share that nugget of information with you is that just recently I planned a children’s talk when I challenged my congregation to guess the phobia from it’s name. To carry on your education, what is ombrophobia? That’s a fear of rain. Ok, you’re getting good at this. What is bathmophobia? That is a fear of stairs or steep slopes. Of course, there is a fear of fears too, that is called phobophobia.

You might think that a fear of chickens (alektorophobia), or a fear of clocks (chronomentrophobia) or even a fear of the colour white (leukophobia) is just plain ridiculous, but to the person with the phobia it can completely dominate their life. What might seem ridiculous or impossible or unbelievable to us is something that can paralyse and incapacitate a person. What is needed from us is not ridicule or incredulity, but support and compassion.

How often have you heard a well-meaning Christian say, “All you need to do is trust God,” or “Increase your faith”? We often think that given time people will “get over it!” We don’t realise or recognise the complexities that surround fears, or comprehend the hold they can have over someone’s life. You might be able to find “Seven Biblical keys for overcoming fear” with a very simple internet search, and discover that they offer sensible and helpful insights, but it’s not a universal fix because each of us is a unique and multifaceted human being. We think differently. We react differently. We interpret differently.

God recognises us as unique individuals and sees that we don’t have a one-size-fits-all type of faith. He is compassionate and caring to the circumstances we face, and he patiently walks alongside us.

I love this rendition of Psalm 56:1-4 from The Message version of The Bible:

“Take my side, God—I’m getting kicked around, stomped on every day. Not a day goes by but somebody beats me up; They make it their duty to beat me up. When I get really afraid I come to you in trust. I’m proud to praise God; fearless now, I trust in God.”

Step 1 in dealing with fear is to come to God. Step 2 to peaceful living … well that’s for you to discover in your journey with God.

Dear God,

I come before You to lay my panic and anxiety at Your feet. When I’m crushed by my fears and worries, remind me of Your power and Your grace. Fill me with Your peace as I trust in You and You alone. I know I can’t defeat this on my own and I know there are days when I feel completely defeated, but I also know that I have You, Lord, and You have already paid the ultimate price to carry my burdens.

For this I thank you, Amen.

Neil Chappell