I Said, “Fear Not!”
Rather listen to this blog? Listen to “I Said, ‘Fear Not’!”
Fear. It is the kryptonite that causes paralysis, profuse sweating, heart palpitations, and fainting. It is the obstacle to a promotion, a relationship, an adventure. For many, fear rules their life.
Not me.
As a noun, fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. As a verb, it means to see someone or something as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening.
Both of those definitions have always made me laugh. I have a high pain tolerance, both physical and emotional, so the thought of pain doesn’t scare me. I am hyper-vigilant, so danger is spotted far enough in advance that it can be avoided, or at least lessened. Threatening? Not even close - in fact, somehow, I am usually perceived as the threat, though there have never been any instances in my life that would explain why this is (in fact, my go-to phrase is, “How can I help?”). I just somehow, unknowingly and unwittingly, send out a “vibe” that keeps would-be threats away from me (cue shoulder shrug and confused facial expression).
This past week, that changed. I felt fear. A very dear friend, a brother in Christ, is extremely ill with COVID-19 and on a ventilator. He’s younger than me, and there isn’t anything I can do to help him. I realized that was why I was consumed with fear - an emotion normally foreign to me. You see, I am a woman of ACTION. I don’t spend time on what-ifs, if onlys, and I wish, because none of those get the job done. I like to be efficient - I get it done. Not this time, and so I was terrified.
God has been working on me my whole life, but over the past three years, He has worked it so I have been actively seeking Him. He has been leading me to mindfulness about His presence, mostly through the blessing of some very wise women He’s grouped me with, and using the talent of getting it done that He gifted me with to see that only by walking in His footsteps can He lead me to even greater feats for His glory. As I’ve seen Him do many times, especially these past three years, in my fear for my brother’s life, and the words of the great sage Forrest Gump, “God showed up.”
The Lord taught me three things about fear:
It is an emotion
Not to fear is a command
There is a place for fear
Fear is an emotion - we are going to experience it, and that is ok. Even Jesus was afraid! We see Jesus’ fear in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prays to God for some other way to save us besides being crucified. Jesus is our perfect example, and as Christians, we should be striving to be holy like Jesus. So, if Jesus, our example, felt fear, then it is ok for us to feel fear, too. Peter also felt fear when he walked on water with Jesus, but only when he took his focus off Jesus and instead looked at the storm raging around him. That’s the difference between feeling the emotion of fear and allowing the storm around us to keep our focus off of Jesus and saturate us with fear.
Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
When you feel afraid, and you will, the very first thing to do, your instinctual move, is to seek God. Run right into the eye of the storm and find Him there.
“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you,” (Isaiah 41:13) and, “But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you Israel; Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
God doesn’t suggest we not be afraid. He doesn’t leave it up to us. He COMMANDS us to NOT be afraid, and then he gives the best reason why - we are HIS. And not just multitudes of voices hitting him all at once like he’s Professor X in Cerebro or Bruce Nolan in Bruce Almighty (I warned you in my last post I’m a movie buff!). No - he not only KNOWS us by name, but he has also CALLED us by name. Every single one of us! We can depend on his word because it never changes.
“This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my spirit remains among you. Do not fear,” (Haggai 2:5).
God has made a covenant with us that he remains with us, and we can trust his covenants - see the rainbow in the sky after it rains if you need an example.
“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you,” (Hebrews 13:5). That is God’s covenant, his promise, to us.
Not to fear is a command, and one we can follow with complete confidence because he has called us by name, and “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
But there is a very specific place and purpose for fear.
Deuteronomy 10:20 says, “Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.”
We are commanded to fear the Lord our God. How can this be? It is not worldly fear we apply to God or the lies of Satan that cause us to feel fear. No - this fear is the fear of reverence, respect, honor, and worship. The fear of the Lord that reminds us who our God is: The creator of the universe, bringer of plagues, commander of nature, and savior of all mankind. Our God IS power, authority, and LOVE.
“But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you,” (1 Samuel 12:24).
The Lord has done great things for me this week. He has comforted, strengthened, and given me the right words to speak in prayer for my brother. I’ve prayed this week for my brother’s healing of course, but what I’ve prayed more often is this:
Lord, I am scared to lose my brother, but I know you have him in your hands. You are in complete control of the situation, you’re the Great Physician, and I trust you. I pray you would be glorified.
I have seen the power of prayer this week. Not my prayer, but hundreds of believers coast-to-coast praying for our brother and glorifying God.
During the storm of my fear, I cried out to Jesus, “Lord save me!” Jesus reached out, and I entered the stronghold of his embrace.
The storm rages on, my brother is still very ill, but I am not afraid.
AMEN
