Sometimes, the question “What’s next?” is exciting. It gets us dreaming about possibilities and potential. But other times, wondering what’s next can paralyze us. We’re overwhelmed by uncertainty and face an undeniable fear of the future.
God doesn’t want us to live in fear, especially fear of the future he’s thoughtfully planned out for us. The phrase “do not be afraid” shows up 365 times in the Bible – that's one reminder for each day of the year! But how do we follow that advice and overcome our fear of the future?
Why do we fear the future? Because it’s scary!
There are a lot of seasons of life where you’ll look to the future with anticipation and excitement – usually because you know something good is coming. It’s when we don’t have that certainty that fear creeps in. We don’t know if we’ll get the job. We don’t know if we’ll get into the college we applied for. We don’t know if the paycheck will cover the next bill.
Fear of the future isn’t a new concept. In fact, when the Israelites were on their journey to the promised land, fear was a daily occurrence. At one point, they even describe feeling like helpless little grasshoppers traveling among giants:
Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” Numbers 13:33
Obviously, the Israelites weren’t literally the size of grasshoppers, but that’s what fear does: it exaggerates the way we see our weaknesses, and it makes obstacles ahead of us seem a lot bigger than they truly are. And in the face of an uncertain future, you too might feel like a tiny grasshopper about to be squashed by a giant.
How does fear affect us?
Your fear of the future might not look like fear. Fear of the future doesn’t mean you’re screaming and running away every time you see a calendar. Here are some unexpected ways fear can manifest in your mental health and behaviors:
- Procrastination: You put off applications, appointments, or other tasks that force you to confront the future you’re afraid of. If you’re facing a scary medical diagnosis, for example, you might put off scheduling a doctor’s appointment.
- Anger: The fear you’re carrying can cause you to lash out at others, sometimes over seemingly small things. You’re like a kettle ready to boil over.
- Avoidance and secrecy: You dread getting questions about your future or having to talk about it with others, so you withhold information, keep secrets from people who care about you, and avoid any uncomfortable conversation topics.
- Anxiety: Feeling helpless about your future can cause you to obsess over what-ifs and hypothetical scenarios, to the point that it causes distress.
- Depression: Fear of the future can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair, which can leak into your daily life.
Ultimately, the key thought that drives the way fear shows up in your life is “I can’t do this.” And our response to that thought can manifest in a lot of different ways.
The antidote to fear is faith.
“Faith over fear” might feel like a cliche – and in your defense, it’s definitely been overused in the past!
But there’s some truth to the idea that faith overrides fear. Faith, after all, isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the choice to have faith in God – the refusal to forget what he’s already done and who he says he is.
King David struggled with fear and doubt, and he kept many accounts of how he wrestled with fear throughout his life. In one of the Psalms, he wrote:
“Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion? And I said, ‘This is my fate; the Most High has turned his hand against me.’ But then I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.” Psalm 77:9-11
Here, we see David make the conscious choice to remember God’s faithfulness as a response to his fear. He did this to remind himself that, even when the way forward isn’t clear to us, it’s clear to God.
How will you remember God’s faithfulness?
Like David, you can give yourself reminders of God’s character and faithfulness that you can fall back on when you’re feeling fearful of your future. In ancient Israel, shepherds used to carve marks into their staffs to remind them of times where God provided.
Since you’re probably not a shepherd and don’t have a staff to mark, here are some practical ways you can remind yourself of God’s faithfulness:
- Start journaling. Keep a log of the things you’re worried about in one column, and things you praise God for in the other. Remembering God’s goodness can help your fears stay small.
- Reflect on past answered prayers. Looking back and where God was faithful in your past can encourage you that he’ll be faithful in your future. (Again, journaling is great for this!)
You can step into uncertainty with hope and confidence!
You can’t eliminate fear from your life, but you can choose to trust God with it. After all, fear is often a sign that you’re on the edge of something great, even if you can’t see a clear path ahead. Remember God’s promise in Isaiah 41:10:
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
God isn’t watching you walk toward an uncertain future – he’s right there with you.
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Sometimes fear of the unknown can cause us to avoid change. Here’s how to grow past that and embrace the changes God has for your life.
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