Thoughts on Fear

Few things silence a singer like fear.

Just recently I met with a young, seventeen-year-old worship team singer. She shared with me how fear of stepping out was one of her main hindrances. Sitting across from her, at thirty-two, I completely identify. I would answer in the exact same way.

Fear is a chameleon. In the moment, fear sounds nothing like the thief and liar it truly is. Fear sounds like a friend trying to help…

“Don’t sing right now. You will sound terrible in this range,” fear says.

“Don’t sing that oracle/song. The timing is wrong. The worship leader will be disappointed”.

“Don’t step out today. Look who’s in the room. They will know you’re in over your head on this team if you go for it”.

“Hang back for this worship set. The singer next to you has a way better voice. Let him sing what He hears from the Lord”.

Sound familiar?

And fear doesn’t stop there; it is insatiable. It won’t stop with silencing you at the microphone. It’s out to destroy and immobilize you in every area. It is out to stop your obedience and kill your dreams.

You will not have what you need.

You will be abandoned and alone.

You will look foolish.

Far too often we step back, shut up, and stay put. And we call it “wisdom”.

It is time to stop justifying fear by (incorrectly) calling it wisdom.

Ephesians 1:17 is a prayer asking for the Lord to give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation that the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened; that we may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints… This is a prayer that we would know Jesus more. It is also a wild prayer to dream big in God again.

It’s so easy to put God in a box based on what we’ve experienced in Him or what we expect Him to be like. I’m guilty of this. I think in some ways, we subconsciously do this to keep life in God safe.

But if I’m honest, oftentimes the leadership of the Lord does not qualify for feeling “safe”. It is not sterile or predictable. Sometimes it is wild, extravagant, impractical.

I think we sometimes write off the dreams of our hearts in so-called “wisdom” believing them to be unspiritual. But the Lord is shining in all His strength, breathing on dreams again, opening eyes again.

Step out of ministry and start that business.

Shut down your business and become a missionary.

Start training, and run the marathon.

Start worship leading.

Start volunteering at the homeless shelter.

Ask the girl out on a date.

It’s time to dream big in God again. And that can mean making a big life change or simply opening up your mouth at the singer microphone again.

God has an inheritance in your life. Yes, in your salvation, but also in your step-by-step obedience to Him. Every response to Him in obedience gives Him glory.

Every time we keep silent in fear, there is glory from our lives that He does not receive.

The stakes are high.

We can’t afford to live in the dullness of our own sight. We need our eyes enlightened to see His worth and the beautiful inheritance He is waiting to receive from our obedience.

The antidote to fear is boldness

While this is a simple statement, it is not easy to live.

“Be bold!” Has anyone ever told you that before? Few things feel more futile than trying to be bold when all you feel is crippling fear.

The truth is, there is a momentum factor to boldness. This is true in all of life, and especially for singers, musicians and worship leaders. After a time of regularly operating from a place of boldness, it almost starts to feel like you are bold simply because you’re used to being bold — it’s what you do.

When you’re used to giving in to fear, it’s like you live at the top of a speeding escalator. It’s hard to step on. You stick your toe out, you try, you pull back afraid, you let the moment pass you by. You are stuck with that knot in the pit of your stomach, knowing you had something to contribute but were too timid to go for it.

That feeling — the pit in your stomach from obeying your fear — is far worse than the feeling of stepping out and actually failing. And in the process of keeping silent you are feeding the voice of fear. It will be all the louder the next time.

If this is you, be encouraged. The first time you step out in boldness is the hardest it will ever be. It may feel insurmountable, but you must make yourself act. Force yourself to sing. Give yourself no other option.

For me, when I have something I want to sing during a worship set the prayer room, I often signal the worship leader first thing to let him or her know. I do this mostly so that I’m committed and can’t let fear change my mind.

Then, the next time you step out of your comfort zone, you’re just doing what you did the last time. Still hard, but there’s a history there. The time after that, it begins to feel familiar. Again and again until being bold is just what you do.

Run from the safety of self-preservation. Dream big in God. Let the momentum factor of boldness work in your favor. Your obedience is a beautiful inheritance for Jesus.