A No-Fear New Year
- Sunitha K
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
This past year has been filled with a lot of uncertainty. I took the USMLE STEP 2 exam last spring, and the wait for my results was truly agonizing. When I finally got the notification for my score...I was in the absolute wilderness with no service. But it was a really joyful time because I got to celebrate with my best friend and appreciate the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which had always been on my bucket list. More on that super iconic trip here :)
This fall, I took my last exam in all of medical school (!), then applied for residency, have been traveling all over the country for interviews and audition rotations, will submit my rank list of programs later this spring, and will finally be TOLD where to go in March on the infamous Match Day. And once again, we wait.
Admittedly, all of this waiting for people and systems to determine my fate has been pretty exhausting. I'm a huge planner, and not being able to plan brings about a lot of doubts and fears for my future, but I keep reminding myself that even though it feels like people and systems are holding the cards, it's God who actually holds my future in His hands.
To further reiterate how much of a struggle this has been, it even shows in my Spotify Wrapped, for which my #1 song of 2025 is "No Fear" by Jon Reddick. I listened to this song NON-STOP in the car, while studying, at the gym, everywhere, to tell my brain the truth that I will have no fear, even if I don't quite believe it yet.
No fear, no fear
The mighty power of Jesus is fighting for me here
No fear, no fear
The light of the world makes the darkness disappear
Not over my family, not over my future
Not over my life, God's over my life
Not over my battles, not over my struggles
Not over my life, God's over my life
There are so many examples in the Bible of people declaring God's truth over their lives, even though it didn't feel like their reality. David regularly declares God as his refuge, deliverer, and faithful protector while actively being hunted, betrayed, or hiding in caves. Before her circumstances change, Hannah prays honestly from deep anguish, then rises and eats, and “her face was no longer sad.” Habakkuk openly wrestles with injustice and silence, yet ends by declaring, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord… the Sovereign Lord is my strength.”
These examples show that biblical faith isn’t denial or pretending. It’s naming God’s truth in the middle of unresolved reality. The declaration often comes before deliverance, and sometimes long before feelings catch up. So when I listen to this song constantly and sing it at the top of my lungs, that's me reminding myself that I don't have to have fear, even if I kinda still do.
1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love."
We're not solely responsible for handling our fears and doubts and worries on our own. This verse isn’t about working up better courage or stronger faith. It’s about resting in the completeness of God’s love, which is already finished, secure, and unchanging. John is not saying believers never feel fear. He is saying fear does not get the final word. Fear may be present, but it does not rule where God’s love is fully known and trusted.
This year, I gathered with 12,000 18-25-year olds (I know I'm 26, I snuck in lol) including my brother and cousins Jason and Joanne, to ring in the New Year at CrossCon in Louisville, KY under the teaching of bible scholars, worship our Creator together, and be reminded of what it means to live on mission in our everyday lives. Because we weren't with our families, we watched the ball drop together on NYE, and they chose promise verses for each of us - I actually ended up with 2 lol.
Promise verses are not the end-all, be-all, because the entire Bible is God's promise to us, but they can still be encouraging to us. That was definitely the case for me, because the verses, as my mom pointed out, had a theme: that I don't have to fear, and can wait on God, because He is with me.
Isaiah 40:31 - But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 23:4 - Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
I haven't published on this blog in almost a year and a half (I have still been writing, though, and you can read some of those here!), but this conference was such an incredible experience that I just had to share some of my takeaways. I'm going to publish a separate post on those, but I wanted to highlight the resource that Pastor John Piper's ministry Desiring God shared with us to help us establish New Year's resolutions.
The six categories are:
If you haven't made any resolutions yet, this was a very valuable exercise for me. I may have watched the ball drop for the first time in my entire life, but I will not be dropping the ball on my resolutions for this year, because they are not just desires of my heart, but essential for my soul :)
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