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Sometimes in life, fear can be the catalyst for action. In this week's Parsha, Parshat Vayishlach, Yaakov prepares for the arrival of Eisav. 20 years after Esav sells Yaakov his birthright and Yaakov dresses up as Esav and "steals" Esav's Bracha, Yaakov leaves Lavan's home where he has been living since he ran away fearing for his safety. Yaakov sends messengers to Esav to inform him of his social standing. When Yaakov hears that in fact Esav is coming to greet him with his 400 men he is terrified. His first step is to divide his family into camps, thus making a battle plan for the war he believes is coming. He then davens:
קָטֹ֜נְתִּי מִכֹּ֤ל הַחֲסָדִים֙ וּמִכָּל־הָ֣אֱמֶ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֣י בְמַקְלִ֗י עָבַ֙רְתִּי֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן הַזֶּ֔ה וְעַתָּ֥ה הָיִ֖יתִי לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃

I am unworthy of all the kindness that You have so steadfastly shown Your servant: with my staff alone I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.
הַצִּילֵ֥נִי נָ֛א מִיַּ֥ד אָחִ֖י מִיַּ֣ד עֵשָׂ֑ו כִּֽי־יָרֵ֤א אָנֹכִי֙ אֹת֔וֹ פֶּן־יָב֣וֹא וְהִכַּ֔נִי אֵ֖ם עַל־בָּנִֽים׃

Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; else, I fear, he may come and strike me down, mothers and children alike.

While he is davening, he starts regretting the way he took the Bechora. The question we had while we were learning is “why was Yaakov scared if Hashem promised him a good future ?” Shouldn’t Yaakov have had “Emunah”? The Abarbanel states that Yaakov’s fear was necessary. If it wasn’t for his fear, he would have left everything to god. His fear made him take action. The “Akeidat Yitzhak” explains, had he not taken action, it would have been considered a sin. God wants us to have faith in him, but we also have to do everything we can down on this earth.

This year we are spending a year where we will only see results if we put in the work. While fear can often lead to a feeling of being paralyzed, we can learn from Yaakov that fear can be a positive aspects of our lives when we use it to change for the better.