April 23, 2020
Face your fears. It’s easier said than done. We all felt fear before. It’s like a glorious day at the beach, enjoying the water, when in your periphery you see an unmistakable fin protruding out. And as it quickly approaches, a feeling of fright fills your soul. A feeling that weakens the strong. It paralyzes the nimble. It’s a familiar feeling because fear is everywhere.
How should we deal with it? I’m continuing my read of Untangling Emotions by J. Alasdair Groves and Winston T. Smith with the chapter entitled, Engaging Fear. Now, what is fear? It seems like a troubling emotion that really has no place. Wouldn’t we be so much better off if it never existed? So we think. Yet fear does have a purpose. It is a map that reveals what we value. For example, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:28, “And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” His anxiety reveals what he values - the church. He values the church because he is constantly thinking about and praying for the church. And when you continue to read 2 Corinthians and the other epistles, it becomes clear that Paul’s anxiety doesn’t drive him away from the church. He doesn’t attempt to relieve his fear by moving far away from its cause. Nor does he get paralyzed by his anxiety for the church. He does not cling to the church as his ultimate value. He doesn’t run from fear or become enslaved by it. He faces his fear.
So how does Paul do that? He doesn’t engage fear alone. And he doesn’t engage fear with the self-medication of alcohol or screen consumption or holding on to the church. Paul engages fear by clinging more fervently to the Lord. Just turn a page to 2 Corinthians 12:9, ““But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Any fear that tremors in our heart is an invitation to face it with the Lord’s strength.
First, we identify our fear. How good it is to name it instead of running away or cowering before it. We can see it for what it is. Second, we examine it. What does it reveal about what I value? Is it something inherently sinful? Or is it a rightful value placed on something good like the church? Examining the map of fear will allow us to discern the path of wisdom with the Lord. Third, we walk on the path of wisdom through the Word. What action do I need in evaluating my fear? What promise in Scripture do I need to meditate upon? What prayer requests should I share to my brothers and sisters in Christ?
In our day we are faced with fear on all fronts- finances, health, relationships, future. How can we conquer our fears? It is with the Lord, our good and perfect shepherd, who faced the ultimate fear of sin and death by giving His life for us on the cross. Psalm 23:1-4, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” We are never alone. Face your fears with Jesus.