Fear
by Ellen White
That which brings sickness of body and mind to nearly all is dissatisfied feelings and
discontented repinings. They have not God, they have not the hope which reaches to that
within the veil, which is as an anchor to the soul both sure and steadfast. All who
possess this hope will purify themselves even as He is pure. Such are free from restless
longings, repinings, and discontent; they are not continually looking for evil and
brooding over borrowed trouble. But we see many who are having a time of trouble
beforehand; anxiety is stamped upon every feature; they seem to find no consolation but
have a continual fearful looking for of some dreadful evil. 1T 566
Many neglect to lay up for themselves a treasure in heaven by doing good with the means
that God has lent them. They distrust God and have a thousand fears in regard to the
future. Like the children of Israel they have evil hearts of unbelief.
God provided this people with abundance as their needs required, but they borrowed
trouble for the future. They complained and murmured in their travels that Moses had led
them out to kill them and their children with hunger. Imaginary want closed their eyes and
hearts from seeing the goodness and mercies of God in their journeyings, and they were
ungrateful for all His bounties.
So also are the distrustful, professed people of God in this age of unbelief and
degeneracy. They fear that they may come to want, or that their children may become needy,
or that their grandchildren will be destitute. They dare not trust God. They have no
genuine faith in Him who has entrusted them with the blessings and bounties of life, and
who has given them talents to use to His glory in advancing His cause. 2T 656
The Lord frequently places us in difficult positions to stimulate us to greater
exertion. In His providence special annoyances sometimes occur to test our patience and
faith. God gives us lessons of trust. He would teach us where to look for help and
strength in time of need. Thus we obtain practical knowledge of His divine will, which we
so much need in our life experience. Faith grows strong in earnest conflict with doubt and
fear. 4T 116
Jesus invites us to come to Him and He will lift the weights from our weary shoulders
and place upon us His yoke, which is easy, and His burden, which is light. The path in
which He invites us to walk would never have cost us a pang had we always walked in it. It
is when we stray from the path of duty that the way becomes difficult and thorny. The
sacrifices which we must make in following Christ are only so many steps to return to the
path of light, of peace and happiness. Doubts and fears grow by indulgence, and the more
they are indulged, the harder they are to overcome. It is safe to let go every earthly
support and take the hand of Him who lifted up and saved the sinking disciple on the
stormy sea. 4T 558
As Jesus rested by faith in the Father's care, so we are to rest in the care of our
Saviour. If the disciples had trusted in Him, they would have been kept in peace. Their
fear in the time of danger revealed their unbelief. In their efforts to save themselves,
they forgot Jesus; and it was only when, in despair of self-dependence, they turned to Him
that He could give them help.
How often the disciples' experience is ours! When the tempests of temptation gather,
and the fierce lightnings flash, and the waves sweep over us, we battle with the storm
alone, forgetting that there is One who can help us. We trust to our own strength till our
hope is lost, and we are ready to perish. Then we remember Jesus, and if we call upon Him
to save us, we shall not cry in vain. Though He sorrowfully reproves our unbelief and
self- confidence, He never fails to give us the help we need. Whether on the land or on
the sea, if we have the Saviour in our hearts, there is no need of fear. Living faith in
the Redeemer will smooth the sea of life and will deliver us from danger in the way that
He knows to be best. DA 336
Millions of human beings are bound down under false religions, in the bondage of
slavish fear, of stolid indifference, toiling like beasts of burden, bereft of hope or joy
or aspiration here, and with only a dull fear of the hereafter. It is the gospel of the
grace of God alone that can uplift the soul. DA 478
Only the sense of God's presence can banish the fear that, for the timid child, would
make life a burden. Let him fix in his memory the promise, "The angel of the Lord
encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them" (Psalm 34:7). Let him
read that wonderful story of Elisha in the mountain city, and, between him and the hosts
of armed foemen, a mighty encircling band of heavenly angels. Let him read how to Peter,
in prison and condemned to death, God's angel appeared; how, past the armed guards, the
massive doors and great iron gateway with their bolts and bars, the angel led God's
servant forth in safety.
Let him read of that scene on the sea, when to the tempest-tossed soldiers and seamen,
worn with labour and watching and long fasting, Paul the prisoner, on his way to trial and
execution, spoke those grand words of courage and hope: "Be of good cheer: for there
shall be no loss of any man's life among you.... For there stood by me this night the
angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought
before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." In the
faith of this promise Paul assured his companions, "There shall not an hair fall from
the head of any of you." So it came to pass. Because there was in that ship one man
through whom God could work, the whole shipload of heathen soldiers and sailors was
preserved. "They escaped all safe to land" (Acts 27:22-24, 34, 44). ED 255F
You should have a clear apprehension of the gospel. The religious life is not one of
gloom and of sadness but of peace and joy coupled with Christlike dignity and holy
solemnity. We are not encouraged by our Saviour to cherish doubts and fears and
distressing forebodings; these bring no relief to the soul and should be rebuked rather
than praised. We may have joy unspeakable and full of glory. EV 180
God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan's constant resort--to gain
control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce--is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear
or force he endeavours to rule the conscience and to secure homage to himself. To
accomplish this he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to
the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God. GC 591 (1888)
Faith takes God at His word, not asking to understand the meaning of the trying
experiences that come. But there are many who have little faith. They are always fearing
and borrowing trouble. Every day they are surrounded by the tokens of God's love, every
day they enjoy the bounties of His providence; but they overlook these blessings. And the
difficulties they encounter, instead of driving them to God, separate them from Him, by
arousing unrest and repining. . . . Jesus is their Friend. All heaven is interested in
their welfare, and their fear and repining grieve the Holy Spirit. Not because we see or
feel that God hears us are we to believe. We are to trust His promises. When we come to
Him in faith, we should believe that every petition enters into the heart of Christ. When
we have asked for His blessing, we should believe that we receive it, and thank Him that
we have it. Then we are to go about our duties, assured that the blessing will be sent
when we need it most. When we have learned to do this, we shall know that our prayers are
answered. God will do for us "exceeding abundantly," "according to the
riches of His glory" and "the working of His mighty power." GW 261
Those who minister to the sick should understand the importance of careful attention to
the laws of health. Nowhere is obedience to these laws more important than in the
sickroom. Nowhere does so much depend upon faithfulness in little things on the part of
the attendants. In cases of serious illness, a little neglect, a slight inattention to a
patient's special needs or dangers, the manifestation of fear, excitement, or petulance,
even a lack of sympathy, may turn the scale that is balancing life and death and cause to
go down to the grave a patient who otherwise might have recovered. MH 219
Aaron as well as the people shrank away from Moses, and "they were afraid to come
nigh him." Seeing their confusion and terror, but ignorant of the cause, he urged
them to come near. He held out to them the pledge of God's reconciliation and assured them
of His restored favour. They perceived in his voice nothing but love and entreaty, and at
last one ventured to approach him. Too awed to speak, he silently pointed to the
countenance of Moses, and then toward heaven. The great leader understood his meaning. In
their conscious guilt, feeling themselves still under the divine displeasure, they could
not endure the heavenly light, which, had they been obedient to God, would have filled
them with joy. There is fear in guilt. The soul that is free from sin will not wish to
hide from the light of heaven. PP 329
Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You
cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him.... His heart of love is touched by our sorrows
and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind.
Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the
affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him
to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no
perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His
children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of
which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. . .
. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were
not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave
His beloved Son. SC 100
But our Lord does not deceive us. He does not say to us, "Do not fear; there are
no dangers in your path." He knows there are trials and dangers, and He deals with us
plainly. He does not propose to take His people out of a world of sin and evil, but He
points them to a never-failing refuge. His prayer for His disciples was, "I pray not
that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the
evil." "In the world," He says, "ye shall have tribulation: but be of
good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 17:15; 16:33). SC 122
If we take counsel with our doubts and fears or try to solve everything that we cannot
see clearly before we have faith, perplexities will only increase and deepen. But if we
come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really are, and in humble, trusting
faith make known our wants to Him whose knowledge is infinite, who sees everything in
creation and who governs everything by His will and word, He can and will attend to our
cry and will let light shine into our hearts. Through sincere prayer we are brought into
connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have no remarkable evidence at the time
that the face of our Redeemer is bending over us in compassion and love, but this is even
so. We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us in love and pitying
tenderness. SC 96
As Luther approached the door which was to admit him to the audience-room and the
presence of his judges, an old general, the hero of many battles, touched him upon the
shoulder as he passed, and shaking his head said to him kindly, "My poor monk, my
poor monk, thou hast a march and a struggle to go through, such as neither I nor many
other captains have seen the like in our most bloody battles. But if thy cause be just,
and thou art sure of it, go forward in God's name and fear nothing! He will not forsake
thee." ST AUG.23,1883
We are living in a time that calls for decided action. The world is more bitterly
opposed than ever to Gospel reform. But notwithstanding this, God's work is to go forward.
The words of Christ come down to us who are living at the close of the earth's history:
"When these things shall begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads;
for your redemption draweth nigh." The nations are in unrest. Times of perplexity are
upon us. Men's hearts are failing them for fear of the things that are coming upon the
earth. But those who believe in God will hear His voice amid the storm, saying, "It
is I; be not afraid." The world is lying in wickedness and apostasy. Rebellion to
God's law seems almost universal. But amid the tumult of excitement, with confusion in
every place, there is a work to be done for God in the world. ST OCT.09,1901
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