“Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken” Proverbs 3: 25, 26 KJV).
A “sudden fear” is something we fear that happens unexpectedly, for which we are not prepared. It is something we do not see that happens without warning and catches us totally by surprise. The word “sudden” comes from Latin sub- (under, underneath) +ire (to come or go), to come “under,” i.e., stealthily.
Things that we are afraid of can come upon us suddenly and catch us off guard. Like the lion that stealthily springs upon the hunter who has been hunting him.
There are things in life we fear, so we diligently prepare ourselves. We are afraid of natural disasters, financial reversals, and all manner of health problems. We prepare by purchasing insurance to cover our losses after unexpected events occur and cause an emergency. We also prepare for disaster and avoid sudden fear by putting warning systems in place. Even death can happen without notice, but for the Christian, it is to be suddenly in the presence of Jesus Christ. When a lost person dies, they drop suddenly into Hell.
But no matter how prepared we are and how much foresight we have, we are occasionally blind-sided by something that hits and leaves us reeling from the impact. And we ask ourselves, “Where did that come from?”
Though the Christian is not exempt from life’s many surprises, he serves a God who is never caught off guard, surprised, or unprepared by what comes into their life. God who knows the past, present, and future in one frame of time is never suddenly surprised by anything.
“Sudden fear” calls for immediate action to avoid disaster. The first action the Christian should take is to immediately put their trust and confidence in God, for He is the only one not caught by surprise and is prepared to act.
Life is caprice and full of surprises; some good and some bad. But as a Christian, our life is with Christ in God, and we often become suddenly aware of the abrupt changes that God had planned for us beforehand. God does not always give us forewarning of these changes, and our best way of being prepared for them is to be confident and to completely rest in Him.
If we have not been trusting God all along, it is hard to put our trust in Him when we are hit with “sudden fear.” We do not know what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow (2 Tim. 1: 12).
