On a sweltering night in the 1960s, my young, recently married parents lay awake in my great-grandmother’s Civil War-era house in Crockett, Texas. Abrupt, hurried talking in the other room had roused them from a deep sleep. A loud thunderstorm raged outside. My mother, new to the family, quietly whispered to my father, “What are they doing?” My father, in his typical stolid fashion, didn’t even open his eyes. “Oh, they always do this during a storm.”

It was the wee hours of the morning. Their anxiety having gotten the best of them, my grandmother and her siblings had arisen from their beds to brew some coffee and watch the storm. “It’s come up a cloud!” my mother heard her mother-in-law say. This was foreign to my mother, who along with her siblings enjoyed storms; they felt that you could “see the power of God” in them, as my Aunt Alice would remind us cousins.

How do you feel about the storms of life? Do you feel that kind of anxiety from time to time? Do life’s storms rage and overwhelm you? Do you feel that all you can do during the tempest is make coffee and watch?

It’s easy to give in to the temptation to fear, and to stew over problems. Did you know that the Bible says “do not fear,” “do not worry,” and “fear not,” well over a hundred times? Did you know that Jesus tells us not to fear twenty-one times?

“Do Not Be Afraid”

“Do not be afraid” is an imperative. We are commanded not to fear. Why? It means a lack of trust in our heavenly Father. It means we are essentially calling God a liar – He who has promised to be with us “until the end of the age.”

The Bible explains the reason for His command. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Is. 41:10); “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6); “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28) (all emphases mine).

Apart from God, the idea of not worrying about crime, finances, world disasters and terrorism doesn’t make sense. In Christ, though, we understand that we have access to the only One who is truly in control.

Sometimes we think we’re in control. This is a delusion. You may be the very best driver in the country, but a drunk could swerve into your lane and you could die.

Unafraid Even If

We have to get to the moment of “Even if.”

The “Even if” moment, as I like to call it, is the point in our lives where we can say, “Even if — [fill in the blank] — I will be with the Lord.” Then repeat God’s promises to you that He will take care of you. Memorize them so you can pull them out when the need arises.

I took a trip to study at Oxford University in 2006. To say that I don’t care to fly is an understatement. As the jumbo jet sat on the runway ready to taxi, I grabbed the “sick bag” and held it tightly. In my mind I kept repeating, I can still get off the plane. I can still get off the plane. A colleague of mine sitting next to me asked if I thought I would be getting sick. When I nodded my head, she slammed the bag shut and said, “No you’re not! In Jesus’ name, you are healed!”

The real growth happened at 33,000 feet. At 2 a.m., just south of Iceland, we passed through a lightning storm. The jet shook violently. This was my “Even if” moment. I gave up my fear to God (who was holding me all the time). For the rest of the flight, I repeated mentally, “Even if I die in this plane, I will go to be with the Lord.”

We have to get to the moment in our fear that we can say, “Even if I die in the next few minutes, I know where I am going — to be with the Lord.” It’s in His hands anyway. “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matt. 6:27)

Even when we do not fear death, we need to have our “Even if” moments. “Even if I get sick and lose my job, I will trust in You Lord — You own cattle on a thousand hills,” and I personally add, “Can you sell a few cows?” Then I leave it there.

I tell my boys, “To learn about God, we need to read about him (Bible); to know God, we need to talk to Him (prayer).” Studying God’s Word and spending time with Him is the only way we will understand how truly protective and mighty He is. He is always with us. And He’s the only One who can give us the “peace that passes all understanding.” (Phil. 4:7)

Don’t make coffee and watch the storm. Get back in bed. Even if!