No Fear by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
Have you ever been afraid of what is to come?
Did you want to turn back before you even ventured out?
Fear can be crippling, and it can drive our decisions, but we have to remember that in 1 Timothy 1:7 it says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” If God did not give us a spirit of fear, then who did? I think there is only one possibility.
This week, my husband Jeff, cinematographer Conor Lee, and I traveled down to Guatemala City to film the final part of a documentary I am working on to fight Holocaust denial. Before we went to Guatemala, people seemed worried about our plans. Guatemala can be a dangerous place. There are zonas you are supposed to avoid. One website said if someone attempts to rob you, you are not supposed to resist, or they might kill you. Hmmm. That information has the potential to initiate worry in one’s mind. The forecast also called for thunderstorms every day.
However, I knew we were supposed to make the trek to Guatemala City. An outreach, Yahad In Unam, planted a Holocaust Museum there and they are educating 20,000 students per year about the Holocaust. We had already interviewed the leader of Yahad in Unam, Father Patrick Desbois, who has spent the past twenty years identifying the mass graves of the Holocaust in Ukraine and Poland. Using his research, he is now educating students at Georgetown University and his team is teaching about the Holocaust at this museum in Guatemala. It was important to make the trip to Central America.
So rather than be fearful, I prayed. I prayed for our safety and protection. I prayed for everything to go perfectly for the documentary taping, and I prayed that God would push the bad weather out. He answered all my prayers affirmatively. Even when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake shook our hotel building, it was unsettling for only a few minutes, because we trusted God with our lives.
It was an incredible taping, I never felt unsafe walking around Guatemala City,
And it did not storm until we were on the plane, ready to leave. What if I had let fear deny me of this experience? Isaiah 41:10 reminds us, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
If God calls you to a project, fear should not enter the room. Turn all your cares and concerns over to your Heavenly Father and He will give you peace.
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