What is the scariest thing you have ever been through? What was it like to have fear pulsating through your body? What did the fear do to you? What, if anything, were you able to do with your fear?

The most fearful moment of my life came in early 2022 when my flight had just taken off from Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC. It had nothing to do with the flight itself; it had everything to do with something my wife had texted me. She let me know something that had just happened and what she communicated to me caused me to imagine the worst of the worst possibilities.

I had never felt so afraid and so helpless in my entire life. Though I’ve flown all over the world, that 6 hour flight from DC is by far the longest flight I have ever taken. And though I wish I would have been home at the time, I am thankful that one of our kids was with me. When I told him what I had just learned, fear was now coursing through his body too. And there on that plane, we held hands and we prayed. And it was still a brutal experience to go through. But there was something that made the fears shrink a little. We were together and we had each other. At the same time, Shauna and our kids were together. And a few of our closest friends, what we would call our “inner circle”, showed up. It didn’t make any of our fears go away completely, but it did shrink them a bit.

Two months ago, Shauna and I woke up to a text letting us know that some of our closest friends had experienced the scariest moment of their lives. I honestly couldn’t imagine what that experience must have been like for them or what they were feeling because of it. Before that day was over, we found ourselves at their home shedding tears, hugging them tighter than ever, and asking God to somehow bring peace to their home and their hearts. It didn’t remove all of their trauma, but I’m certain that it lightened their load in some way.

Have you figured out how to shrink your fears?

Think about the fears that are currently paralyzing you. Fears about being all alone. Fears about your health. Fears about your future. Fears about your children or your parents. Fears about our city or the world.

What would it mean to you if your big fears in life began to get smaller?

This is what I want us to talk about today in a message I’m calling, “Shrinking Our Fears”. John Ortberg did a brilliant job last week of showing us what we can learn from Mary’s response to the news that she will give birth to the Son of God. I want to continue her story so that you and I can discover the things we can do that will help us begin shrinking our fears.

Luke 1:39-56 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he had been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One had done great things for me – holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Mary has an incredible encounter with the angel Gabriel, who tells her, “You are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid! You have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.”

DO NOT BE AFRAID. That is easy to say. It is encouraging to hear. But it’s really hard to live out. So many of us are convinced that we have to get rid of all of our fears before we can step into a life of faith and courage. But what if that isn’t how it works?

What if your fears don’t have to completely go away before you begin to exhibit faith and courage in your life?

Do you think Mary had no trace of fear in her body, just because the angel told her to not be afraid. And you’re like, “But Ben, she told the angel, ‘I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.’” I know and it’s natural for us to think the only way we can have that kind of faith to step into what God has for us is if all of our fears go away.

It was January 2009 when I became convinced that we were supposed to move to downtown San Francisco and start a brand new church. And you’re like, “Ben, look what’s happened. Who wouldn’t say ‘yes’ to this?” You guys, I didn’t say ‘yes’ to this. I said yes to a vision. I said yes to going for it. On that day that I said yes, two things were true simultaneously – I was convinced this is what we were meant to do and I was absolutely scared to death.

Is God calling you to take a huge step of faith, even while you’re still scared to death?

Think about the end of Jesus’s life. Even as he’s committed to going to the cross, his soul was still overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.

So let’s move forward with faith and courage, even while we’re still afraid. But I think Mary gives us an incredible example of how to shrink our fears. Here’s the first way we can decrease the power of fear in our lives:

Bring God’s people and your people to your fears.

Verse 39 says this is what Mary did as soon as the angel delivered this news – she got ready and hurried out of town and made her way to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Why did she do this? Well, for starters, she’s just learned that Elizabeth (who was said to be unable to conceive) is 6-months pregnant. Certainly she wants to celebrate this news with her and the two of them have some wild God-stories to swap with each other. But I think there’s another reason Mary hurries there.

She hurries to Elizabeth because being with our people can help lessen our fears. There is a lot being written and talked about these days that tells us to slow down and stop being in such a hurry. This shows up in books like John Mark Comer’s, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, based off of a quote from Dallas Willard. I’ve learned so much from these men. I do think a constant sense of hurry destroys our souls.

But here, Mary gives us wisdom for when we actually need to hurry in our lives.

When you get news that brings great fear to your heart, mind, and body, get to your people in a hurry.

I’m talking about your inner circle. I’m talking about the people who will help carry you and carry your fears.

Have you built the kind of deep relationships with others who are able to help shrink your fears?

God gave Mary and Elizabeth each other. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. What do you think they did for those 90 days? I’m guessing they encouraged each other, they prayed, they worshiped, and they began a lot of sentences with, “Can you believe that we are going to…..?

Who has God given you? How are you cultivating or deepening those relationships? Bring God’s people to your fears. But that’s not all.  

Bring God’s promises to your fears.

Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

This is what Mary said to the angel. But notice what Elizabeth said to Mary in verse 45:

Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!

Mary had decided that as crazy as the words sounded, she was going to believe what God had told her.

Are you actively trusting in what God has told you?

Again, this doesn’t mean that the fear won’t return, but it does mean we should have a plan for it when it does come back.

Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Be encouraged that this is from David, one of the most courageous humans in all of history. He doesn’t say if you’re a real person of faith, you should never be afraid. He says that whenever you are afraid, put your trust in God.

Bring God’s people and your people to your fears. Bring God’s promises to your fears. And here’s the last thing to do to shrink your fears:

Bring your worship to the God who is more powerful than what you fear.

Mary could have magnified her fears. It’s so easy for us to allow the thing we fear to become the dominant object in our lives. I get it. But does that help you deal with the fear?

Luke 1:46 (ESV) And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.”

We don’t worship God primarily to feel good, though that often happens.

We don’t worship God just because it’s the good Christian thing to do.

We don’t only worship God because He’s worthy of it, though He is.

We worship God as a way of magnifying Him over everyone and everything.

If your god is smaller than what you fear, could I introduce you to a God who is over everything you fear?

When Mary returns to Nazareth three months pregnant, I don’t know what everyone was saying. I don’t know all that she was thinking. But I’m pretty sure her trust in God was at a deeper place than it had ever been. And when she began to feel a hint of those fears, I think she went back to what she had already learned: Bring God’s promises to my fears. Bring God’s people and my people to my fears. Bring my worship to the God who is over everything I fear. As her delivery date draws near, I’m sure her fears would come and go. But they did not keep her from stepping into what God had for her life. I pray that you and I will put these things into practice, long before we encounter the fears that could take our breath away and paralyze us.

Read, meditate on, and trust God’s voice to you.

Bring your fears to your people in a hurry. If you don’t have your people, hurry to cultivate those starting today.

Magnify God over everything in your life through the practice of worship.