Oh hello, internet world. I’ve tried to be better at keeping up with my blog. “Tried” being the operative world. I have noticed I’m more active on my Facebook page, and I’m attempting to do regular lives there, starting this Thursday at 9:30. Go like and subscribe to keep up to date with the happenings of these live streams! Now for the Blog Post 🙂
A lot is going on in the world right now. Mostly, the world is panicking about this new virus classified as COVID-19 and buying stores out of toilet paper, soap, and hand sanitizer. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t panicked at some point, but upon further research, I realize it probably isn’t a panic I need to be in. Something like 40-60% transmission reduction has been found in properly washing hands, I think? But the virus is not the topic of this blog.
FDR famously said, “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” Sounds good, right? But what does the Bible say about fear? Let’s dig in.
First, let’s talk about the word fear. In Greek and Hebrew, both fear of God and fear of not-God have the same root, the emotional response that triggers our innate fight, flight, or freeze response, much like terror. Like other emotions, fear is amoral – neither good nor bad, and often fear is literally a survival instinct. One of my favorite things about the Bible includes the fact that every person isn’t extraordinary in their own right, but that God chose them and made them His vessels, thus proving His extraordinariness. Joseph’s brothers, upon realizing that he lived, in Egypt, where they sought refuge, produced in them… you guessed it… fear. I doubt that David fought Goliath without fear, but his faith in God was greater than that fear, whereas others in Israel’s army fear of the giants overpowered their faith in God. Do you see yourself as a David? or as Israel? There’s not really a wrong answer. I’ve seen myself in both at different times in my life. (note: Israel’s fear has a tendency to have them doubt God in His goodness and faithfulness and this fear and pride did not help them… like ever)
Last week, as I was personally panicking (much like Israel… anytime something new happened, even if it was good), I thought of a couple of verses. One is found in the Psalms 56:3. I memorized it as a preteen by accident. I was addicted to a series of books where the main character somehow found her way into these mysteries that would leave her terrified. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee,” is the beautiful phrasing from the King James Version, and I honestly haven’t done enough research to see the history of this particular Psalm, but I will, quite often, quote it when I’m terrified, like on a hike near a drop off, or on an overlook, or driving around Lake Tahoe on a narrow road with water on either side (yeah… that happened). I also tend to quote 2 Timothy 1:7 all the time, especially with the craziness of this novel virus around us.
So what does the Bible say about fear? Words like fear, respect, awe, reverence, dread, terror are all translated from the same root word for fear, perhaps these different words are to help us non-Hebrew or Greek speakers to differentiate the fear of God from the fear of things not of God (both from the same root). I’m not sure. I honestly got lost trying to research all the Bible says about fear. It is definitely more than I was anticipating for the time I had. And let’s be 100% honest here, even though the Bible says, “Fear not” numerous times, it’s so easy to STILL BE AFRAID! It’s not that we want to be afraid. Who really wants that (aside from the adrenaline we get from movies and literature that creep us out? anyone?) Here’s the truth, we are human. And we fail so much.
GOOD NEWS though! HE WINS! Easter is the celebration of the defeat of sin (the cross) and death (the resurrection). So while we are commanded to not fear, we also are confronted with the truth that we, as humans, are not enough to defeat fear and sin and death in and of ourselves, but we know the One who is. When we place our trust in Him, we aren’t saying we are not afraid, but that we believe He is bigger than our fears. This is where David succeeds. EVEN WHEN he messes up BIG TIME (which… is a lot), David is remembered as a man after God’s heart… As one who sought God above all else. “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10). And David feared the Lord more than that dang giant.
I also came face to face with the idea last week as I was low-key panicking I’d become another number of the COVID-19 outbreak and be admitted with complications to my type one diabetes, that information is power. Having a friend who works in disaster preparedness and relief helped that too. 1 Peter 5:8 says to “be alert.” Be aware of what is happening around, pray, and prepare. These are not mutually exclusive with fear, but they become near impossible when we live in a state of fear of the next new thing instead of a faith in a God who is bigger.
Fear is a liar. It weakens us. I grew up in an area prone to tornadoes and huge thunderstorms. Wind and rain simultaneously pelting upon the land around me. It’s enough to be fear invoking, and as a kid, I was completely terrified (now I love them and miss them so much). But as a result of this, we learned the safety aspects of tornadoes by regular drills. Only once did I have to take shelter in school due to a storm. We lined the hallways with our backpacks, ready to brace for the tornado should it hit our school. It didn’t but I remember that afternoon as I sat by my locker in the hall of my middle school. I think that tornado hit farmland, like a majority of other tornadoes in that area considering that small towns made up a small percentage of occupied land in that part of the state.
The thing I learned from these safety drills applies to life too. Be prepared. Know what to do in different circumstances. Fear is necessary to survival at times, but so is being prepared. The preparedness strengthens where fear leads to us to be weakened.
Challenge for you, lovely readers: 1. Identify your fears and triggers. 2. Prepare around those fears. Have a plan of action. 3. Dig into God’s Word for what He says about your fears and triggers. 4. Commit to memory verses that deal with fear and the context in which those verses are said. 5. Never forget to pray your way through anytime you fear.
To those who have PTSD and anxiety and similar mood disorders (if that’s the right terminology?), I recognize that fear for me is not the same as fear for you. My prayer is that you’ve sought help for those issues like seeing a licensed practitioner and/or medication and that God uses these very things to bring about healing. Even if healing isn’t evident now or in this lifetime, remember that He is Lord and King.
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