"You ought not to be scared.” I overheard a Christian leader tell a group of his church members this. You usually hear this reminder in churches, doesn't the Bible command us not to be afraid? The words “Do not be afraid” are mentioned many times in the Bible about 100x times. So why are you afraid? Do we not violate this commandment when we allow ourselves to be afraid?
I don't think so. When we read our Bible, we see that many of God’s people including some of the most prominent leaders in the Bible have experienced fear.
Moses is an example. One day, because he wanted to help, the young man Moses tried to save an Israelite, and he killed an Egyptian. the problem is, someone knew of the crime he had committed. And when Moses realized this, he was so afraid that he fled and did not return to Egypt for forty long years. When these people were about to end, God called Moses. in a distant desert, on the mountain called the mountain of God, the Lord called him from the burning bush. "Moses, Moses," God told him not to come near because the place where he was standing was holy. God then introduced himself as “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s God.”“ He informed Moses that He was aware of the Israelites’ pain and had learned of their arrival (Exodus 3: 6-9).
Moses listened and did not say a word as God introduced himself ... until God said, "Therefore I will make you go to Pharaoh to bring my people Israel out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:10). When Moses heard this, he suddenly spoke, like a student raising his hand for the teacher to notice. "Who am I," he said to God, "to stand before Pharaoh and bring the people of Israel out of Egypt?" This is the first of his many excuses. God answered all his reasoning one by one. Until he ran out of justification, Moses said to God, "Can you send someone else?"
Maybe we will ask, "Why did Moses say that?" Is he still afraid of people who know of the crime he has committed? After forty years? Or is he more afraid of being a failure as a leader? We see in Exodus 3 and 4 that Moses hesitated to obey God because he was afraid. When he heard that God was sending him to Egypt, his former fears suddenly returned, like a rushing river drowning him.
But God has away. Moses also became the leader of the Israelites. He was even one of Israel's greatest and most respected leaders. But even though he was a leader, Moses still experienced fear. Do you remember when the Egyptians chased the Israelites? God's elect is trapped because they are surrounded by mountains, and the Red Sea is ahead of them. They were really afraid, so they began to complain and blame Moses (Exodus 14: 10-12). What did Moses tell them? Like a steadfast leader, Moses stood up and said to the people:
"Be of good courage; do not be afraid. See how the Lord will save you now. You will never see those Egyptians again. The Lord will defend you. Be still." (Exodus 14: 13-14)
With those words, Moses seemed to be in control of everything, and he had nothing to fear. But in the next verse, we read that Moses cried out for help. God stopped him from crying and told him to let the people go and he would go first, "Why are you calling me? Let the Israelites go". Such is the average leader. In front of members. They look strong, but inwardly, they are crying. They are also scared.
Moses was not the only one who was afraid. The prophet Jeremiah was also afraid. And why not? God called him at a time when people only listened to leaders who were old and white-haired. Jeremiah is still young. So God had to tell him: "Do not say you are young ... Do not be afraid" (Jeremiah 1: 7-8).
Joseph, Jesus' adoptive father while he was on earth, was also frightened when he faced a difficult situation. Mary, whom he was to marry, was pregnant, even though they had not yet had intercourse. An angel of the Lord spoke to him, "Do not be afraid."
The high priest Zechariah was also afraid (Luke 1:13) and so was John, who is the author of the book of Revelation. John says in Revelation 1:17: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, but he laid his right hand on me and said, 'Do not be afraid!'
"Do not be afraid." Why is it so often mentioned in the Bible? The reason is simple, the people we read about in the Bible are often just as scared. This is also why in the Psalms, one of the most frequent descriptions of God is “refuge” or “rock”. People are involved in trouble, so they want to hide. A common experience in the Bible is fear. God's elect, such as leaders, prophets, priests, and apostles, are often afraid. Fear was not only common in Bible times but also in our day.
When Ondoy flooded Manila and I saw for myself how fast the water rose, I was scared. It's just floodwaters. What about the tsunami that devastated parts of northern Japan in 2011?
People are just really scared. We just don’t want to admit it because we think it’s not OK to be afraid. We think that when we are afraid, we are violating the biblical command "Do not be afraid." So we try not to be afraid, not to show fear even if we are really afraid.
The Meaning of "Don't Be Afraid"
When God says "Thou shalt not be afraid," it is not like other commandments in the Bible, such as "Thou shalt not kill" or "Thou shalt not steal." When we look at the instances where “do not fear” is mentioned in the Bible, we see that they are said in situations where the assurance of God’s presence or encouragement is required (e.g., see Genesis 46: 3; Deuteronomy 20: 1; 31: 6; Joshua 11: 6; Isaiah 44: 8; Jeremiah 1: 8). We can indeed say that the words “Fear not,” He does not command; He encourages His people. He does not rebuke or rebuke His people because they are afraid. He knows and understands that His elect will be afraid. God knows that we are like dust, and we are limited. So we find verses with encouragement such as “Do not be afraid,” even though no one is assigned to be afraid (e.g., Genesis 15: 1, 21:17; Numbers 14: 9; John 14:27). When God tells us, "Do not be afraid," He tells us, "I understand what you are going through. I know you are afraid. But do not be afraid. I am here."
As a result, fear is not a sign of a lack of confidence. Fear, after all, is “good” because we become open to the help of God and other people.
Where Fear takes Us
We often think that the best position is the position of power, being in control. But the best situation is the position of need because when we are not in control when we feel we can do nothing, we have a better chance of experiencing the power of God. But how can we experience God's power if we do not acknowledge our limitations?
When we deny we are afraid, we close our door to God and other people. As psychologist Henry Cloud explains.
Rejecting fear takes us away from our humble state in the universe and God. Our fear and lack of control in many areas of our lives are what draws us closer to our Father in heaven; we must accept that we are afraid to say that we are in need ... When we are afraid we become aware of our real weakness, and we are reminded of our need for other people and God. Often we do not become sensitive to other people because we deny we are weak and afraid.
This is one reason why we are afraid to admit that we are down and sad. This is why other people don’t cry, they want to show that they are stable. When we admit that we are afraid, we are saying that we have no control, so we fight our fear. For example, some men will not admit that they do not know the way to a place. So they will drive for a few hours, pretending they know where they are going, while simply asking for directions they will reach their destination.
How to Deal with Fear
Fear can be a sign of pride, of an “I know it all” or “I don’t need your help” attitude. We can also go to the other extreme that always says that we are afraid and just live in fear. This happens when we do not face our fears.
How should we deal with our fears?
Instead of denying that we are afraid, we must confess to God the fear we feel. Instead of acting as if we were in control of the situation, we should admit that we are not in control of things so we are afraid. Let us take to God any situation that gives us fear. God knows who we are and He understands the wheels we are involved in. He is ready to accompany us through any frightening experience we may have, even if, "we pass through the dark valley of death."
Didn't David say that? "Though I walk through the dark valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, your guide and your shield" (Psalm 23: 4). David also dared to kill Goliath, didn’t he? But it is encouraging that David also said the following words:
My heart is full of sorrow, in my fear that I have passed away, In the intensity of fear, I tremble, I am overwhelmed with terror. I said, "If I only had wings, like a dove, I would fly; I would seek a safe place. I would fly far away; and there in the wilderness, I would dwell. I would immediately seek refuge to ward off the coming storm." Psalm 55: 4-8)
David was a great and courageous leader who was not afraid to admit that he was afraid: "In the intensity of fear, I tremble, terror overtakes me." She was also trembling with fear as I had experienced before. But because he admitted that he was afraid, he recognized that he needed God. This is why at the beginning of this psalm David said to God, "Hear my prayer, O God, and do not turn away my cry. Take care of me, save me, from the weight of my troubles." (Psalm 55: 1-2). He said to God, "I tremble with fear." This is what David seems to be saying: "I'm so scared, my God. I feel like I'm going to die of fear. "He would disappear and go somewhere else if he could, and he would not be afraid to say so. “If I only had wings like a dove, I would fly fast,” he said.... I would quickly seek refuge from the storm to come" (Psalm 55: 6-8).
Have you ever felt like this? I, 00.
There are times in the Church that I feel giving service to God has not been enough. I want to sink to where I stand and disappear. I’m sure we’ve all had this experience, and even more intense. But what matters here is that when David describes or “names” his situation, and then he is relieved of his heavy burden. Also, I think the metaphor of a dove flying away is a description of what David wanted to happen. And because he was able to say this, somehow, he had already begun to face his fears.
The Story of Jacob
One of the moving stories in the book of Genesis is the story of Jacob. Jacob will do everything he can to get what he wants. But he was also full of fear. His main fear was his brother Esau. Twenty years before, Jacob fled because he tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing that should have been for Esau. So Esau is very angry and wants to kill Jacob. Jacob fled. For twenty years, Jacob lived with his uncle Laban. During this time, he married Leah and Rachel and amassed wealth. But like many of us who have experienced living abroad, one day Jacob felt the need to return to his homeland. So he prepared to return to his father's hometown.
But on his return, he will also have to deal with past issues. And it's not easy. Jacob knew he had to face Esau the man he feared. And one night as he was returning, Jacob heard that Esau was coming with four hundred men. So Jacob was terrified! But instead of denying that he was afraid, he admitted it. He went to God and prayed, and this prayer is one of the longest prayers in Genesis: (Genesis 32: 9-11)
For men like Jacob and David who admit, “I’m scared” Well, that’s weird. That is not a sign of weakness. Far, far away. On the other hand, such a confession is a sign of courage; these two men were able to deal with their fears by admitting that they were indeed afraid. I think this is something that pastors, church workers, and members of the community of faith should admit, and say, "I'm scared."
Say your Worries to God
The incredible thing is that when we pray to God, we confess our fear, and we face it by referring to it, God opens our eyes. We see the Lord God as in control of all things. David declares in Psalm 55:19, “God the King of old will hear me, he will subdue them ...” Just as in Psalm 57 he sang, “Blessed be you, O God, in the highest; of heaven, "In Psalm 55 he beheld the power of the Lord. He is in control. He still reigns.
One of the reasons we are afraid is because we feel we are not in control. Some of us are becoming control freaks. We will not be comfortable until everything is in order until everything is resolved. But in the end, we can't keep quiet because there are always things we can't control. But different from the Lord. He is in control. And when we learn to confess before Him and trust Him, then we will experience rest and peace.
One day after the film showing, I approached God and I had a hard time saying I was scared, I had a hard time recognizing it and dealing with it. God spoke to me through the words I found in Psalm 55:19: “God the King of old will hear me, he will subdue them ...” I have seen the God is in control, he is the "king." God told me that day, "I still reign. Do not be afraid. I am here." No wonder one of the last verses of Psalm 55 has a similar last verse in 1 Peter 5: 7: "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. . ”(Psalm 55:22). And as happened to Paul (Acts 9), I became clear and I no longer looked at things from my perspective, but from God’s perspective. My situation did not change that day, but something happened to me. My fear and my God met.
After the encouraging words of Psalm 55:22, “Throw your burden on the Lord,” we read in the following verse: “But liars and murderers, O God, in the pit, they throw it away. Soon, their life on earth, but only in God do I trust "(Psalm 55:23).
The fighting is still going on. And that's OK.
Fear is not evil
It tells you what your weakness is.
And once you know your weakness, you can become stronger as well as kinder.
We know our weakness.
So, what'll we do next?
We'll get Stronger!
We'll stand up and fight!
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