One of the most famous quotes from the twentieth century came from Franklin Roosevelt’s first inaugural address in 1932, when he spoke to a worried and depression-ravished nation, saying “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear is very real and often debilitating to a great number of people. However, most of the things people fear never come to pass.
Fear is a tremendous motivator. People purchase guns because they are fearful. Recently in Ferguson, MO gun sales went up sharply as people anticipated violence when a verdict was to be announced in the Darren Wilson grand jury decision. Indeed violence did ensue.
Some put alarm systems in their homes and cars out of fear. Fear leads some to carry pepper spray on their key chains. Some fear death and take all sorts of steps in attempting to live just a little bit longer. Advertisers play upon people’s fears in order to sell their products. Quite honestly, fear is big business.
Fear of being alone has caused many to jump into bad relationships. Roosevelt hit the nail on the head with his statement more than 80 years ago. Indeed it is usually fear itself that is the problem – far more than the object(s) of anyone’s fears.
In 2013 actress Angelina Jolie underwent a preventative double mastectomy. The reason given was that she feared getting cancer like her mother. Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, lost her battle to ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 56. This is a step being taken more and more frequently today by those fearful of an eventual potential negative outcome. I knew a man a few years ago who told me he and his wife followed a diabetic diet very strictly, but neither had diabetes. They feared acquiring the disease as they got older so they reasoned that if they followed a diabetic diet they could avoid ever getting that diagnosis.
Healthy fear can be a good thing. We should all be a little fearful of driving without a seatbelt, petting stray dogs, and eating wild mushrooms. However when fear becomes overwhelming it is then a problem. God’s Word teaches that believers really have nothing to fear.
The word “fear” and the concept of fearfulness or being afraid appear many times in Scripture. Interestingly, fear is almost always to be viewed in a negative light, with one important exception. People are called upon to “fear the Lord” and further to be fearful or afraid of failing to do what He says to do. In the first chapter of Deuteronomy, the Israelites were fearful to enter the land that God had set before them. We read “Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.” (Deut. 1:21) If we believe that God is watching out for us, having our best interest, protection, and well-being in mind why do we fear? We look back at God’s preservation and the prosperity He bestowed on His people in the Old Testament and say ‘of course He took care of them.’ But, while the people were in the midst of this pilgrimage they were not very confident. God prepared the way for them, but they still feared. We read the promise “He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:8)
David found reason to fear at times. But the overwhelming pattern of his life was one of great confidence in the Lord. In the 27th Psalm he wrote “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psal. 27:1)
In the New Testament Paul wrote to encourage the young pastor Timothy reminding him “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7) The spirit to which Paul refers is the Holy Spirit. It is He who gives great gifts including courage that gives us confidence; power that enables us; love that tempers us; and soundness of mind that allows Godly wisdom to prevail in and through us.
Fear resonates with the worldly-minded person in part because they really do have legitimate reason to be fearful. They really have no hope beyond what they can experience with their senses. They have nothing good beyond right now, and if what they have is taken away, they have nothing. The Christian, on the other hand, need not fear because this life is just a temporary layover as he/she awaits their eternal home and all the glory and splendor that entails.
The world fears for good reason. If Christians fear, it is for noreason. Temporary doubts cannot become permanent faults. Confidence must replace our fears as we reflect on the undeniable and captivating truths of God’s Word. God loves us. In that love all fear is removed. We read in 1 John 4:17-19 “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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