Fear was not part of God’s creation as first established in the Garden of Eden. Harmony existed between every part of the created order, each with the other and also with the Divine Designer. There were no storms in nature to cause fear. Since death only came after the fall, we assume there was no fear among animals, terrified at the possibility of being eaten by predators (who were apparently all initially vegetarians). And there was no fear on the part of animals toward Adam, as he named them. There was no fear between the initial human couple toward one another. And there was no fear (other than the healthy attitude of reverence, sometimes called “fearing the Lord”) in the hearts of Adam and Eve toward the Lord.
But, oh how sin has changed all that! Ever since the fall, there has been fear throughout creation: fear about the destructive powers of nature’s floods, earthquakes, volcanos, and tornados; fear between the large predators and small prey in the animal kingdom; wild animals fearing the approach of human beings; fear of residents about criminal elements threatening them and their families; people fearing the potential harm from diseases like cancers and strokes; as well as fear caused by the ravages of war, from bombings and starvation and tyrannical dictatorships. Fear is an inevitable result of the terrible effect of sin on God’s perfect creation.