Unafraid of their names

The Bible—victor in the battle against fear

By Carol Rockhold Miller

As I arrived at my daughter's nursery school one day, I encountered a mother in a state of near panic. She had just learned that one of our children's classmates was ill with scarlet fever. The fear and helplessness that she and others felt took me by surprise, and soon I also began to feel fearful.

As I turned my thought to God for peace and guidance, the Bible verse "Be not afraid of their faces" came to mind (Jer.1:8). At that moment, I paraphrased it to myself, "Be not afraid of their names."

Throughout the Bible, the message is brought out in countless beautiful verses and wonderful stories that the presence and power of God, divine Love, the Father and Mother of all, are an unfailing help in trouble. I began to see this situation as the temptation to believe that there could be a particular circumstance, a particular disease with a dreaded name, outside of God's ever—presence and not subject to His all—power. This, I knew, was impossible.

Immediately I felt calmed. I vowed to myself not to be "afraid of their [names]." During the next few days I pondered this message and other comforting words from the Bible and felt peaceful and confident that God's love was in complete control, caring for each of His children. As it turned out, the young girl recovered quickly, returned to school, and no one else in the school came down with that trouble. We don't know always the full effect of our prayers, but I do know that my prayer and the inspiration I found in the Bible calmed my fears about my daughter's well-being, about her classmate who was ill, and about all of the children in the school. Daily study of the Bible, in conjunction with Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy, has been a wonderful source of inspiration and strength. I like to begin my day by reading passages from the Bible and establishing in my thought that God is the only power in the universe, the only Mind, and that He is governing everyone and every event of that day in perfect harmony.

Each of us is God's loved child, forever safe in His tender care.

In numerous everyday situations, and especially in more challenging moments such as the one that morning at school, the Biblical messages of comfort, help, courage, and reassurance have been of inestimable value. For example, "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders" (Deut. 33:12). And the ninety-first Psalm promises, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Jesus often said, "Be not afraid." This is indeed possible for anyone as he or she ponders, prays with, and trusts the truth of the Bible that each of us is indeed God's loved child, forever safe in His tender care. The steps we make toward this goal of overcoming fear may seem tiny, but we can take these steps to know God and to assert our freedom from anything that would try to rob us of our health and peace.

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