God role as the protector

From a scientific perspective, fear, stress, and anxiety are all necessary for human functioning. Without fear, we would not limit our actions to those which keep us safe. Though we might be able to do more bold things, it would also make us reckless and much more likely to act on behaviors that could seriously hurt ourselves or others (Kalat, 2019). Without the feeling of stress, we would continue to work until we made ourselves sick since we feel no limits to this ethic. These emotions are put in place to keep us from harming ourselves; it is the body’s way of warning us that we are about to do something that could end poorly.

From a biblical perspective, negative emotions such as fear or stress are needed in humans. Without negative emotions, we as humans would not need the relief that comes from putting our faith in the Lord. Psalm 118:5-6 says, “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (English Standard Version, 2001). If we were to take away our fear or distress, there would be no reason to rely on God. Instead, we could rely on man to take away our suffering, at which point man has usurped God’s role as the protector and relief from pain. This is blasphemous to God’s authority, and therefore is not something that should be allowed under a biblical worldview.