Perfect Love Displaces Fear

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. —1 John 4:18, 19, NKJV

I stumbled in the dark one night as I headed toward the bathroom.

Suddenly, a manly figure loomed before me in the shadows.

I gasped, preparing for a blood-curdling scream.

If you had zoomed in on my face at that moment, you would have seen my eyes wide, pupils dilated, nostrils flared, brows lifted, and my mouth formed in a perfect, terrified O. Adrenaline opened up every orifice in my head for one simple purpose—to help me take in as much information as possible about the perceived threat in front of me.

It turned out to be my husband. I had not seen him get out of bed at the same time as I did. The fear response makes us hyper-perceptive for survival reasons.

If my wide eyes saw the glint of a knife, I would have known to run. If I felt a hand close around my arm, a fight or flight reaction would have helped to keep me alive—and I thank God for it. But what about when we have that fight-or-flight reaction to God? After all, He is quite powerful. And it is clear in His Word that He is not very happy about sin.

Isn’t fear of God rational on some level? We are told, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10, KJV).

It is not the end of wisdom, though.

That initial rush of adrenaline humans feel when encountering a holy, sin-hating God makes us hyper-perceptive. Our wide-open eyes search for signs of anger.

Our ears listen for words of condemnation.

We wonder whether we will live through the encounter.

Fear of God arrests our attention. It focuses us on Him for perhaps the first time in our lives. And what do we find as we focus? We discover love.

We see that the One we feared would take our lives laid down His life so we could live forever with Him. And that perfect, self-giving love displaces our fear.

How has God shown up in your life? How has He revealed His love to you? Perhaps through a close relationship, a memorable experience, or a moment in nature.

Say out loud the ways in which you have felt loved by God.

Dear God, help us to see all the ways You tell us how much you love us. Amen.

Jennifer Jill Schwirzer