Reflection: No Fear, Have Faith: A Reflection on Being Led by the Holy Spirit

Terry Davies
10 hours ago
3 min read

No Fear, Have Faith: A Reflection on Being Led by the Holy Spirit

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”— Mark 5:36

Introduction

There are moments in life when we stop and realise that we’ve been guided all along — even when we didn’t recognise it at the time. For me, that gentle guidance has been the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit doesn’t always make a grand entrance; often, it’s a quiet nudge, a subtle whisper, or a door opening when we least expect it.

This reflection is about those moments — learning to trust the Holy Spirit’s leading, faith replacing fear, and seeing God’s hand in the unexpected turns of life.

Reflection

When I look back over my life, I can see something I couldn’t always recognise at the time — the quiet, steady guidance of the Holy Spirit.

There were moments when I thought I was just following opportunities or reacting to whatever life threw at me. But now, with the gift of hindsight, I realise that the Holy Spirit was there all along — nudging me, redirecting me, and sometimes even pushing me into places I never thought I would go.

At a young age, I remember feeling as though something was drawing me towards God. I didn’t understand it then, but it was a feeling that wouldn’t go away. Now I know it was the Holy Spirit — that gentle presence calling me closer, helping me to know the love of God and to fall in love with His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Spirit doesn’t always lead us where we want to go, but always where we need to be. Life has a way of taking unexpected turns, and the Holy Spirit often uses those turns to shape us, strengthen us, and help us grow in faith.

On Sunday, I was on a bus and noticed someone wearing a jumper that said: “No Fear. Have Faith.” There was a strike that weekend, so I couldn’t get off to ask about it, but those words stayed with me. I thought about how true they are in my own life. I really don’t have fear anymore — because I have faith.

That phrase echoed something I’ve long believed: when we walk in faith, fear loses its power. It reminded me of the words from the “Tantum Ergo”, which say:

Praestet fides supplementum sensuum defectui. Faith for all defects supplying, where the feeble senses fail.

Those lines are so beautiful — they remind us that faith fills the gap where our human understanding falls short. We can’t always see, touch, or fully grasp what God is doing, but faith bridges that space between what we feel and what we know.

The Gospels say much the same. In Luke 12:12, Jesus promises that “the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”In John 16:13, He calls the Spirit the Advocate who will “guide you into all truth.”In Mark 5:34, faith itself becomes the source of healing:

“Your faith has made you well.”

And even in Jude 1:20–21, we are reminded to

“pray in the Holy Spirit” and “keep ourselves in the love of God.”

All these verses point to one simple truth: faith is not something we create on our own. It is a gift — a movement of the Spirit within us, shaping our hearts to trust even when we don’t have all the answers.

That’s what the Holy Spirit has done in my life — led me to unexpected places, taught me to trust more deeply, and reminded me that I’m never walking alone.

So, when I think of that jumper again — No Fear. Have Faith. — I smile. Because that’s really what it comes down to. Faith over fear. Trust over doubt. The Holy Spirit over uncertainty.

We may not always know where the path leads, but we can be sure of who is leading us. And that makes all the difference.