Fear VS Faith

Do you ever wonder why there are so many people who live in fear? I mean almost a constant state of fear, a paralyzing fear. There are some who refuse to leave their homes, some who prepare extravagant bunkers and stock them with food, weapons and everything they will think they will need in case of war. There have been people driven to fear of walking into a school or a movie theater or running in a marathon because people have gone in and gunned down or bombed innocent people doing ordinary things. It seems like fear has taken more and more of a grip on our world especially in recent years. It seems like the more bad things we see in the news, the more widespread fear becomes. The thing that has really been upsetting to me is that we have allowed fear to keep us from being kind. We are afraid to help people we see in need because we are afraid they might hurt us or worse. So we look the other way when we see a homeless person on the street begging. We zoom on by when we see a car stranded on the side of the road. We pretend we don't see the scraggly looking guy counting his change at the coffee shop to see if he can buy a "medium" this time. A desperate looking woman hauling a suitcase down her poor neighborhood road on a cold winter day doesn't get a second thought.

God tells us over and over and over again in His word that we are not to fear! Yet we do. Why? Do we have so little faith in Him that we allow fear to overwhelm what He has done and can do? When Jesus called Peter out of the boat onto the water, Peter got right out and started to walk on the water, until he allowed his fear to overwhelm his faith, and then down he went (Ref Matthew 14). Many stories in the Bible remind us of those who had enough faith to not allow fear to overwhelm them. The only fear they had was the healthy fear of their God. Here are some reminders of those stories...

Abraham did not fear sacrificing his own son Isaac because of his faith and obedience (Ref: Genesis 22). David, who was small and weak, did not fear fighting a giant named Goliath because his faith was in God alone (Ref: 1 Samuel). Noah did not fear the mockery of the people for building the Ark that God asked him to build when there was no sign of rain (Ref: Genesis 5). Joseph did not fear when he was imprisoned in Egypt after being sold into slavery by his brothers (Ref: Genesis 37). Moses did not fear Pharaoh when he asked him over and over to let his people go, because he trusted God had a plan (Ref: Exodus 5-11). Paul did not fear being imprisoned and beaten for sharing his faith (Ref: Acts 16). Jesus did not fear death on a cross, taking on the sins of the world...because He KNEW He would be resurrected and He trusted His Father (Ref Mark 15).

I am learning that truly having faith in God leaves little room for fear. Allowing fear to keep us from doing all that God has planned for our lives, to keep us from being obedient to His will and His voice...it's the same as showing God and others that we really do not have the faith we claim to have. This is not to say that we shouldn't be smart and prudent. The Bible also warns us to be alert. It warns us that the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour (Ref 1 Peter 5). I also should note that there are those with mental illness who have anxiety and fears that are difficult to overcome. We should pray for those who are unable to choose faith over fear and they can and should seek professional counseling and sometimes medication to work through these very real issues. But most of us do have a choice. We can allow fear to keep us from being who we were created to be, or we can allow our faith to show the world that we are set apart to be God's Holy people. That we who follow Jesus do more than just bow down to a God that cannot be seen and cannot be heard. That our faith is so strong that we are willing to lay down our lives like so many before us have in order that more may be saved. That is what we are called to do. This is why a Jewish man named Saul so radically changed his life and spent the rest of it preaching about Jesus to as many people as he could without fear, despite all of the harm, oppression, imprisonment and eventual brutal death he faced in doing so. Most of us will never have to face the kind of persecution Paul and so many other Christ followers have had to face. Most of us only need to look into the eyes of a homeless man on the street, ask his name, give him a blanket or a meal, pray for him...or stop to help a stranded woman on the side of the road...or buy the man scrounging change together at the coffee shop a hot meal and a large coffee...or giving a desperate looking girl walking down the middle of the street with a suitcase in the cold a ride to a better life. Some may think we are crazy, putting ourselves in danger, thinking we are being selfish for putting ourselves or others in possible harms way. But Jesus says we are to treat our neighbors as ourselves. We are to pray for those who persecute us. That if someone slaps us on the cheek, we are to turn and offer them the other cheek. That we are NOT TO FEAR. Even David, before Jesus walked the earth, realized that if he could trust in God to keep His promises, then what could mere mortals do to him (Ref Psalm 56)? As Paul says in his letter to the Philippians, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Ref Phil 1:21 NIV). As I am learning to lay aside my fears and trust God, I'm realizing more and more what Paul meant by that statement. Living for Christ on this earth and following His example is what I want to do and if I die doing that, then I gain eternity with Him. So what do I have to lose? What do I have to fear? In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself."

Lord I thank you for opening my eyes over the past few weeks to see people in need and allowing me to put fear aside to help them in some small way. I know others have seen my actions as dangerous or crazy and some have seen them as ways to call attention to myself. I pray you will help to keep my eyes open, my heart humble, my attitude sincere. I pray that You will continue to show me the ways that You would use me to be Your hands and feet in my community. I pray that You would open the eyes of others, those who believe in You and those who do not. That You would show them that You are true to Your word, that You keep Your promises, that having faith in You alone means that they do not need to fear. I pray that You will show the world what it means to treat their neighbor as themselves by working in the hearts of one believer at a time and allowing others to see faith and light without fear in action. Thank You for working in me and helping me to overcome my own fears so that I may participate in Your restoration story. Thank You Jesus for showing me love and mercy and grace, leading by example so I can show those things to others. Amen.