Overcoming Fear

As Captain John Raaen looked around, wounded and dead soldiers were everywhere. It was D-Day (June 6, 1944), and he was one of the American soldiers who landed on the beach at Vierville, France. He recalled how “those awful 20mm antiaircraft cannon shells [were] bursting overhead,” and how artillery shells were “bursting around us.”

He soon realized that “no one had left that part of the beach.” Those who had landed were “shell-shocked, leaderless, unorganized.” They seemed terrified and unable to move.

So Raaen decided to take action. Pointing to the seawall, he called out, “Ranger headquarters, there!” The men began moving, and the spell of fear was broken.

His radioman was “cringing with fear,” so Raaen told him to “cut if off.” The effect was immediate: “From then on, he was never afraid again, nor was I. I had seen in my first minute of combat what showing complete lack of fear could do for your men.”

Fear can paralyze and cripple us, but we can be armed and ready. God knew that the Israelites might be afraid as they entered the Promised Land, so He told Joshua they were to “be strong and courageous!”

No matter what they faced, they were not to “tremble or be dismayed.” Why? Because God promised to be with them wherever they went.

Today, remember that there are people all around you who are afraid…about their jobs, the economy, world conditions, and their families. The world needs people who are fearless—who trust completely in God. You can be that example. Be strong and courageous! God is with you!