I woke up this morning with heart racing. I had been awakened from an anxiety-filled dream by the sound of gunshots-- not at all uncommon in our rural setting. We are surrounded by woods beloved by hunters for their abundance of deer and wild turkeys, and plenty of our neighbors hunt to supply their families with meat. I couldn't do it myself, but I don't object to the practice-- it's as old as humanity, after all, and probably far healthier than the neatly packaged store-bought meat my tastebuds prefer.
It took some time, however, to slow my racing heartbeat-- one of the complications of my strange illness. Then I began to think over the past few days, weeks, months, years-- not always a good thing, this looking back, yet sometimes we can learn from it. I began to realize that fear has been my pervasive state of mind for far too long, pretty much the 3 1/2 years I have been ill. It may be understandable, yes, considering I have no idea from moment to moment how my body will react to anything or nothing at all, and even worse I don't know why this happens or what to do about it. Will I be able to perform a task I've been looking forward to? Will I be sick afterward if I do? Will I be able to carry out a plan I've made to see family, friend, even doctor, or will my body simply say, "Nope, not today!"? Will I be able to eat, to walk around the yard for a few minutes of fresh air and sunshine? I will only know once I struggle out of my recliner and see how wobbly my legs are today. There's so little left of "me" that sometimes I feel all I can do is cling to the one thing that's become most familiar and dependable-- FEAR.
But then I looked to my left and saw the beautiful prayer cloth made by a sweet friend way back in this journey: "'Don't be afraid. Just believe.' Mark 5:36" Honestly, my first thought was, "Right! How am I supposed to do that after all this time?" But then the Holy Spirit whispered in my ear, "Look in my Word," so I reached down beside me and picked up my Bible and began searching for the numerous passages saying "Fear not." A quick search told me those exact words appear in the King James Bible 170 times. Could Father God be telling us something? In modern lingo, I told myself, "Ya' think?" and "Well, DUH!"
The first occurrence of the phrase is in Genesis 15:1, when God told Abram (later, Abraham), "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward." With the help of his servants Abram had just rescued his nephew Lot from the clutches of some powerful and evil kings from neighboring territories. We have no indication that Abram hesitated or had the least trepidation about taking on these much more powerful armies in order to save his relative. Yet after the humble herdsman had courageously stepped up, God not only told him not to be afraid, He promised the elderly Abram that he would father a great nation. If you've accepted Messiah Jesus as your Savior, my friend, you have been grafted into that very nation! (See April 8 post, "Jeopardy -- Justified")
Time and time again God's Word encourages us to step out in spite of fear. How many different nations did Joshua conquer with Israel's small army guided by the hand of the Lord? I can see poor David now-- the boy who had slain the giant-- cowering in caves for fear of King Saul, even after he had been anointed to be the next king (See 1 Samuel 24). Yet David believed God, and when the time was right, he took the throne. Think of the "Fear nots" associated with Jesus' birth: Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, the shepherds.
When I examine the things I fear, they are barely a blip on anyone's radar in comparison with the history-changing examples above. And yet, our Father comforts me and you, my friend, in our personal everyday struggles, if only we will listen:
"Even if an army gathers against me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if war rises against me, I will be sure of You." (Psalm 27:3 NLV)
"For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father!'" (Romans 8:15 CSB)
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV)
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18 NIV)
And finally, like John in his vision on Patmos, imagine when we see our Lord face to face:
"When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last...." (Revelation 1:17 CSB)
Whatever your fears or mine, dear reader, whether they be the state of the world, a deadly virus, or our own personal struggles, I don't intend to minimize the seriousness of all these issues. Let us remember, however, these assurances from the God of the Universe that fear is not His will for us. As we take down our 2020 calendars and open the door on 2021, let our uppermost thought be,
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10 ESV)
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30) ♱ |
