Do Not Be Afraid—The Deepest Human Fear and God’s Answer to It

Fear Is Universal—But It Was Never Meant to Rule Us

Fear is a part of being human. It’s not inherently bad—God actually designed our brains to experience fear for a reason.

Fear protects us. It keeps us safe. My autistic son, for example, doesn’t have the same fear responses most of us do, and that can be really dangerous. Fear is a survival mechanism God instilled in us for our protection.

But while fear is meant to serve us, it was never meant to rule us.

Fear was designed to work alongside trust and faith. When we let fear take over—when it fuels our decisions and dictates our emotions—it distorts our thinking. It convinces us we’re just being “wise” or “prepared,” when really?

We’re just ruled by fear.

And God knows this about us. That’s why He tells us over 300 times in Scripture: “Do not be afraid.”

“Do Not Be Afraid” Is More Than a Command

Around 100 of those times, God says it as a direct command:

“Do not be afraid.”

But here’s the thing—He’s not telling us to suppress our fear or pretend we don’t feel it. Fear is a neurological response—we don’t choose when it hits us.

What we do choose is whether we are ruled by it.

It’s as if God is saying:

“I know you. I know how easily fear takes over. But don’t let it rule you. You were not created to be fueled by fear—you were created to be fueled by love. And when you let fear rule you, things start to break down.”

But let’s be honest—just telling someone not to be afraid doesn’t always help.

I need more than that. I need a reason. I need something to hold onto when fear feels suffocating.

That’s why one of my favorite times God tells us not to fear is Isaiah 41:10—because He actually explains why we don’t have to be afraid:

“Do not fear, for I am with you.“

At First, That Might Not Seem Like Enough

Imagine you’re standing in a field and see an asteroid plummeting toward you.

Now, if your friend turned to you and said:

“Hey, don’t worry—I’ll be right here with you while your worst fear unfolds and we both get obliterated,”

Would that make you feel better?

Probably not.

But what we know—both from Scripture and psychology—is that our deepest fear isn’t actually about what might happen.

Our deepest fear is being alone in it.

The Worst Part of Pain Isn’t the Pain—It’s Feeling Alone In It

Dr. Gabor Maté, a world-renowned trauma expert, says this:

👉 The human spirit is incredibly resilient.
👉 We can endure suffering, heartbreak, and trauma.
👉 But what we cannot endure—what is unbearable to the human soul—is suffering alone.

Think about that.

Studies show that for most people, the hardest part of trauma isn’t the trauma itself—it’s the isolation in it.

I see this in my therapy practice all the time. One of my clients—a woman in her 50s—had been raped as a teenager. She had carried that trauma for decades, and when she finally came to counseling, she wanted to process it through the lens of her newfound faith.

She was matter-of-fact about the details (which is common with trauma survivors). She had compartmentalized it for years.

But as we talked, I gently asked her:

“What if you weren’t alone in that moment? What if God was there—grieving, heartbroken, furious on your behalf?”

And suddenly—this woman, who had been so composed, broke down in tears.

She had never even considered the idea that she was not alone in that moment.

And that changed something in her.

Even Jesus Felt This

Look at Jesus on the cross.

He was:
✔️ Beaten
✔️ Spit on
✔️ Abandoned by His friends
✔️ Falsely accused
✔️ Tortured

And yet, the only time He cried out in agony wasn’t during any of that.

It was when God had to let Him go:

“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

The worst part of His suffering wasn’t the nails.
It wasn’t the mocking.
It wasn’t the betrayal.

The worst part was being utterly alone in it.

If Jesus Himself—the Son of God—could endure every kind of suffering, but the worst part was feeling abandoned, then maybe our deepest need isn’t for a perfect, pain-free life.

Maybe our deepest need is presence.

And that’s exactly what God promises us:

“Do not fear. Why? Because I am with you.”

So What Do We Do With This?

For me, when fear starts creeping in, I try to shift my focus.

Instead of putting all my energy into fixing the problem in front of me, I turn some of my attention to the Presence beside me.

Because God doesn’t just want to be the solution to your problem—He wants to be the comfort in your process.

He wants to walk through it with you.

He doesn’t promise that our worst fears won’t come true.
But He does promise that we will never, ever be alone in them.

You Are Not Alone

I don’t know what uncertainties you’re facing right now.

I don’t know what’s weighing on your heart, what you’re trying so hard to control, fix, or prevent.

But I do know this:

✅ You are not alone in it.
✅ God is with you.
✅ And He will never, ever leave you.

Maybe today, instead of trying to solve the fear, the anxiety, the uncertainty—maybe we could spend a little more time just noticing His presence in it.

Let that truth wash over you today:

“Do not fear. Why? Because He is with you. You are never alone.”