“They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid” (Mark 10:32).

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God I will praise His Word. In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4 NKJV).

You have probably heard many preachers warn against the dangers of fear. Of course, fear is toxic and can kill your faith. However, God doesn’t expect His people to just dismiss fear as irrelevant. Jesus is always real, and He wants us to be real in sharing our feelings with Him.

The first step, when we face the kind of unstable situation millions of believers find themselves in today, is to be honest. If we are afraid, we should tell the Lord and ask for His help, power, and deliverance.

To pretend that fear doesn’t exist is not helpful. King David knew a lot about fear. His life was in constant danger, but he prayed, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

Nehemiah was a man who was greatly used by God, but when the Lord first put it in his heart to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls and gates, Nehemiah said, “I was very much afraid” (Neh. 2:2). Despite being terrified, he conquered his fears and asked the king’s permission to return to his homeland, where he gradually overcame the taunts of the enemy. One brick at a time, Nehemiah and his construction teams worked hard until they finally completed their great task.

Likewise, you may be feeling fearful about Covid, or about the general decay of the world and the increase of lawlessness, violence, and unprecedented governmental control. If so, we encourage you to do as David and Nehemiah did, and truthfully acknowledge your feelings to the Lord Jesus. He is wonderful, and has always been able to work with every type of personality among His followers.

For two millennium, Thomas has been somewhat looked down upon by many Christians. Even today, people who show any skepticism are labelled a ‘Doubting Thomas’.

Whereas Thomas appears timid and cautious in the gospels, Peter was at the other end of the personality spectrum—he was never backward in coming forward, courageous, and outspoken. The Lord Jesus, however, loved both Thomas and Peter, and He used them greatly in the extension of His kingdom.

Although not much is mentioned of Thomas in Scripture, it is strongly believed that he became the first missionary to India. We have visited the tomb of Thomas in the hills near Chennai in south India, where the apostle is said to have been murdered and buried in AD 72.

Some early Church historians (see Moffett, A History of Christianity in Asia, Vol. 1) record that very soon after the ascension of the Lord to heaven (and before Judas had been replaced as an apostle), the 11 disciples gathered in Jerusalem to strategize how to obey Jesus’ command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15).

Lots were cast, and India fell to Thomas, who strongly resisted the call, asking, “How can I, a Hebrew, go and preach the truth among the Indians?” That night, the Lord visited Thomas in a dream and assured him, “Fear not, Thomas. Go to India and preach my Word, and my grace will be with you.”

Thomas still hesitated, as investing the rest of his life in India was clearly not the way this cautious man had envisaged things. After more prayer by the disciples, however, Thomas was made aware that an Indian king named Gundaphar (who ruled the Indo-Parthian empire from AD 19-46) was visiting Jerusalem at the time, and was looking for a carpenter to accompany him back to India to build a palace for him. Thomas was in this way enlisted to make the journey.

In India, the Holy Spirit empowered Thomas. He preached with great power, and many miracles were done by him in the Name of Jesus. Trouble arose when many Hindu priests were converted, among the thousands of Indians who surrendered their hearts to Christ. Fearing their customs and religion was under threat, priests killed the apostle with a sword, but the kingdom of God had been planted in India, and Thomas is revered by Indian Christians to the present day.

You may also be a cautious or even timid person by nature, but fear not! Your Heavenly Father knows and can move on your heart, giving you confidence and all the gifts needed to fulfill His purposes in and through you.

The key to overcoming in a volatile and decaying world is not to pretend that fear doesn’t exist, but to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, who is marching ahead of His people and whose Word encourages us to be “confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).