II Corinthians 7:5-6 For even when we arrived in Macedonia our bodies had no rest, but we were oppressed at every turn—conflicts and disputes without, fears and dread within.  But God, who comforts and encourages the depressed and the disquieted, comforted us by the arrival of Titus. 

When fear is normal, even healthy

Paul, like us, experienced life’s normal fears and doubts. He was afraid in storms when sailing, worried about the health of his coworkers, and anxious about his converts staying strong in their new faith. Since we fear when we wonder if something bad will happen to what we love in the future, we will fear when we do not know the future. Fear often protects us from danger. A wild lion is no danger to Jesus, who is God, but it is to us! We run away because it can harm us. Without fear in our dangerous world, we would see more destruction and death.

How do we know when to listen to and when to calm our fears? When are they healthy and when are they destructive? We fear lions in the savanna. But at the zoo, we know the lion has no power to harm us from his cage. Our knowledge of the situation informs our fear.

To be delivered from unhealthy fears, we must understand if we are having them for the right reasons and if they have the proper and legitimate place in our minds and hearts. Paul was not crushed by his fear; he did not allow them to dictate his life. Once shipwrecked, he did not allow that experience to fill him with fear for his next voyage. He traveled by ship again and again and again. Even after a shipwreck where he was afraid, Paul knew his God was able to keep him safe in any storm or give him the strength to face any danger.

 So, where do we turn for strength in our times of trouble? Consider some ways God sends us comfort and encouragement:

• He comforts us by His presence. ‘Now may…God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing’ (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NLT).

• It’s God’s nature to be with us, to give us comfort when we’re mourning (see Matthew 5:4), broken-hearted (see Psalm 147:3), overwhelmed (see Psalm 145:14), worried (see Isaiah 41:10), or unwell (see Psalm 41:3). But we must acknowledge His presence and accept His comfort!
• He comforts us by His Word. ‘Remember what you said to me, your servant – I hang on to these words for dear life! These words hold me up in bad times; yes, your promises rejuvenate me’ (Psalm 119:49-50 MSG).
•  He comforts us through our prayers. ‘The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength’ (Psalm 138:3 MSG).
• He comforts us through godly friends. Paul writes: ‘God…comforted us by the coming of Titus.’ Today, look for those who bring comfort, and practise comforting others.

The apostle Paul knows what he is talking about when he mentions the word “affliction”. He has experienced “afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger…” (2 Corinthians 6:4-5). And nevertheless, he says that he is overflowing with joy in all this