There is a Christian tradition that talks about the train of
“Fact – Faith – Feelings,” where facts are the engine and feelings are the caboose.
But this is confusing at best, and potentially misleading. (See https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/fact-faith-feeling.)
I’m toying with the idea of it being like a Venn diagram where our goal is to
live in the center where all three meet and inform and confirm one another,
rather than taking any of them on their own. (I haven’t thought through all the
implications of that approach, though I’m sure it’s not perfect.)
“David was no braggart—he does not
claim never to be afraid, and he was no brutish stoic free from fear… He
feared, but that fear did not fill the whole area of his mind, for he adds, ‘I
will trust in thee.’ It is possible, then, for fear and faith to occupy the
mind at the same moment… It is a blessed fear that drives us to trust.
Unregenerate fear drives from God; gracious fear drives to him.”
In a similar vein, Brennan Manning wrote:
“We often presume that trust will
dispel the confusion, illuminate the darkness, vanquish the uncertainty, and
redeem the times. But the crowd of witnesses in Hebrews 11 testifies that this
is not the case. Our trust does not bring final clarity on this earth. It does
not still the chaos or dull the pain or provide a crutch. When all else is
unclear, the heart of trust says, as Jesus did on the cross, ‘Into your hands I
commit my spirit’ (Luke 23:46)” (Ruthless Trust, 6).
Faith doesn’t preclude fear, but it should inform what we do
with our fears. It’s easy to get lost in our feelings and forget the truths of Scripture
and the promises of God. We may believe that God is present with us and is sovereign
over the world, and yet still struggle to know how to trust Him in the midst of
difficult circumstances.
Multiple times recently I have heard people say that in Scripture,
“Do not fear” is not a command to obey but an invitation to remember God’s presence
and care. He invites us to come to Him with all our fears, and to walk
alongside the One whose “yoke is easy and [His] burden is light” (Matt. 11:30),
rather than trying to carry our burdens alone.
I believe we can learn to turn to God with our fears, though
I admit I’m not very good at that. My brain gets stuck in a vicious cycle of
anxious thoughts because I want to control the outcome of some situation. I
have to remind myself frequently that I am neither omnipotent nor omniscient,
but I can trust the One who is. Spurgeon noted on Psalm 55, “We can have no
better ground of confidence. The Lord is all, and more than all, that faith can
need as the foundation of peaceful dependence. Lord, increase our faith
evermore.”
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you;
He will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Ps. 55:22).
© 2025 Dawn Rutan. Image edited from pixabay.com original. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
