In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
So, we did it. We entered into another New Year and with a New Year comes many hopes and dreams and a fresh start, but with that, fresh start also comes many things we don’t look forward to like renewed levels of anxiety and fear of the unknown. Those feelings are not fun but for many of us they surface at the start of a New Year.
From many, many different parts of the Bible, God speaks about fear because He knows that for many of us new beginnings and fresh starts bring about fears and that many of us battle fear every day such as fear of the future, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of speaking out loud and fear of the unknown.
Now, before continuing, I want to share a short story I heard many years ago. It’s about a little boy who was afraid of the dark. One night this little boy’s mother asked him to go outside and bring in the broom. “But Mom,” he said, “it’s dark out there!” She said, “Don’t worry. Jesus is out there, too.” So, the boy opened the door and reluctantly peered into the darkness and he whispered, “Jesus,” he said, “If you’re out there, can you hand me the broom?” It’s a cute story. We laugh, but isn’t that us sometimes—afraid of stepping into the unknown even though we know Jesus is with us.
So, what is fear? In his famous “Book of Questions,” the great St. Krikor Datevatzi writes that fear is a natural emotion but it becomes a spiritual problem when it controls us. Fear paralyzes our faith and keeps us from seeing God and the path He lays out for us.
Here are some very well known people from the Bible who suffered with fear.
- Adam: Adam hid from God in fear.
- Moses was afraid to speak in public.
- In the story of David & Goliath, everyone say a Giant, but David saw an opportunity to show faith in action.
- Peter denied knowing Jesus on the night of His arrest out of fear for his own safety.
These were all great men who struggled with great fear and their fear was filling their hearts with doubt. “What if everything goes wrong?” they must have wondered. If their fear was stronger and their faith filled them with the realization that even if everything goes wrong, God is still with me, believing that makes all the difference.
So, how do we overcome fear and anxiety with faith in this New Year? It’s by remembering these last words Jesus spoke in this world. “Fear not, for I am with you even to the end of the age.” He is saying to us “Don’t wait for fear to go away. Walk through it with faith for I am walking right beside you.”
Faith doesn’t eliminate fear. It helps us walk through it. So, on this first Sunday of a New Year, ask yourself: What fear is holding you back today? A decision you have to make. A conversation you need to have. A choice you don’t want to make.
Trust in God and remember what he said, “Don’t wait for fear to go away. Walk through it with faith. For I am with you even to the end of the age.” May we all remember that having faith over fear is not a one-time decision. It is a way of life. It is about trusting God.
What could your life look like in 2026 if you lived with fear?
Amen.