Troubled Hearts and Faith

The Bible does not leave us in doubt as to the cure for fear, anxiety and sorrow.  From cover to cover it teaches us that the cause of all our fears and troubles of heart is a lack of faith.  What an extraordinary conclusion!  All fears and troubles without exception?  The answer of Scripture is an unequivocal “yes.”  The connection between fear and unbelief is stated expressly by our Lord in Matthew 14, when Peter was walking upon the water to Christ.  All was well until Peter’s attention was drawn away from the Lord to the wind.  At that point, the disciple became afraid and began to sink.  If asked to explain why he was suddenly overcome with fear, Peter would have answered that the howling wind was the cause (verse 30).  But Jesus pinpointed the real problem when he said to Peter “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (verse 31).  Fear can only be overcome by faith.  This is one of the glories of the Christian faith, that people can overcome their deepest fears and insecurities by learning to trust in God.  There is no conquering the terrors and fears of this life, until faith gives our hearts something greater to be feared and loved.  When the eyes of our hearts are opened by faith, we see that God is the only worthy object of the our  reverence and trust.  The result is that the things of this world appear as nothing compared to our Lord, joy and encouragement are experienced in obeying God’s law, and we no longer fear what people can do to us.