What is it that you fear the most in life? Is it failure? Perhaps death? A terminal illness? The loss of a job? The end of a relationship? Maybe you fear being the victim of a violent crime. All of us deal with fear at times, and some of us struggle with fear all the time. In his inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt made a statement that has become famous, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” His point was that, due to the paralyzing nature of fear, we must avoid indecision and move towards action. While I know many believe President Roosevelt to have been a great man, I would take a slightly divergent view on the nature and purpose of fear. I believe that we are naturally afraid of things that we know are outside of our control.
I’m currently reading a book which chronicles the life of a park ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains. In the book, he talks about the fear that he experienced for years when sleeping out in the backwoods. It took him years to get over his fear of unknown creatures that might be lurking around out in the dark just waiting for him to fall asleep. I have felt a similar fear. When I first started hunting, I was deathly afraid of walking out of the woods after dark. I imagined all kinds of vicious animals to be waiting to ambush me as I unknowingly walked by. Every twig snap or rustle of leaves was proof, at least in my mind, that I was being stalked by some huge predator. Whenever I’d let my imagination get the best of me, I could almost feel something sneaking up behind me.
Circumstances or issues which we deem too big to handle in our own power produce in us, as well they should, a healthy amount of fear. Such fear often becomes inescapable and overpowering. Similar to a deer fixed by the paralyzing effects of fear in the beams of an oncoming vehicle, we are sometimes unprepared or unable to handle the plethora of emotions that cascade upon us when the thing we fear most besets us. I would suggest, however, that fear has a worthwhile and supernatural purpose. Rather than paralyze us, fear should point us to the One who can protect, provide for, and preserve us even in the face of that which terrifies us most! That’s right. A purpose of fear is to drive us, trembling sometimes, into the arms of God! Just as a child runs into the arms of his father for fear of the monster he’s sure is in his closet or under his bed, our fear is actually meant to motivate us towards FAITH!
We read about a group of people who succumbed to fear rather than exercising faith in their great God in Numbers 13 and 14. About to cross into the Promised Land, God’s people were placed in a position where they had to rely solely on him for victory. In the face of seemingly insurmountable opposition, however, and paralyzed by their fear, the nation of Israel reacted in disbelief rather than faith…and they suffered the consequence of their lack of faith. Rather than enter the promised land, they were condemned to wandering in the wilderness. I often wonder how the story might have been different if, even in the face of fear, they had exercised faith in God’s leadership.
The emotion of fear is natural…and, in reality, even when acting in faith, we may still experience a degree of fearfulness. However, to allow fear to control you is to make a decision NOT to trust in the only One who can truly deliver you! Today, it seems that we turn to all kinds of counterfeit deliverances from fear: medication, weapons, money, therapy, government, or other people. While not necessarily bad, if we’re not first and foremost trusting God with the issues that create fear in our lives, then even these will fail us! In this new year, will you allow fear to paralyze you or propel you towards faith in God? I don’t know what you may be afraid of, but could I challenge you to move from fear into faith? Ask God, even now, to show you in what ways fear may be paralyzing you. Ask Him to teach you how to trust him. Today, the only thing you really have to fear is a lack of faith in the One who can overcome your fears.