FEAR
Fear coursed through my body as my teen age son, my daughter, carrying her doll, and I ran to the neighbors. A family member had threatened me. I will never forget the screeching sounds & cursing that I heard him saying on the phone. Then, he said, to someone in the room with him, “get my gun.” Then I heard him say to me, “I will be there in 20 minutes.” Then the phone call went dead. I had or have not since, heard or felt that kind of fear! My husband was at work. I had to leave with my kids. How could this have happened? What did I do or say to cause him to threaten me in that way? He had threatened my husband many times. The family member was wanting my husband to meet him in some remote area to receive his inheritance from their mother passing. He was wanting me to convince my husband to meet him there. I think that threatening me and kids was a way he thought he could get to my husband.
Webster’s definition of fear is: “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by expectation or awareness of danger.” There are different types of fear. The days before my husband was to have surgery, I was fearful but yet excited that this surgery would help him lead a better-healthier life. Instead, his congestive heart failure caused him to pass away. After my husband of 36 years passed away, I was in shock and fearful of how I was going to survive without him. My daughter went to college in Florida. I live in Missouri. So far away! I was fearful that if something happened to her, it would take me awhile to get to her. Now, she is married to a Navy man and lives in Norfolk, Virginia. She recently had some issues with her blood pressure and ended up having a slight heart attack. She is 34 years old and has four children under the age of 11! So far from her, I felt fear in my heart. Isn’t it true that we are most fearful when we look towards the future-the unknown? Usually happenings we have no control over.
As I write this blog, we are fearful about the coronavirus. Other countries are in lock down. We are not allowing anyone from another country to come into this country. Smart move! Our store shelves are bare. Everywhere is out of toilet paper! What? Really? Who would have ever thought there would not be toilet paper on the store shelves? Most people are feeling panic and fear within their hearts. I am fearful as well, especially for my dad and the older and younger population of our country. What does the future hold for us? Will I get it? Will members of my family and friends get it? There are no answers to these questions. We just have to be smart: wash hands often-don’t go into areas that have large crowds. We are fearful of our economy-loss of income because people are not able to work-spread of the virus-fearful because we do not know when our lives will be back to normal again! Are we doing enough to protect ourselves and those we love?
But there is something important that we need to remember and need to do. We must hold onto the truth that God is with us in this fight against this virus and the other happenings in our lives that cause fear in our hearts. Even if we, loved one or friend does get this virus, God is right by our side. We are His son-His daughter! He gave His only Son on a cruel cross for us. God does not want bad things to happen to us, just like we do not want anything bad to happen to our kids & grandkids. God loves us!
Fear can paralyze or weaken us. It can lead to foolish actions. Fear is an enemy when it robs us of strength and motivates us to make wrong choices. It robs us of our courage and faith. King Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar, was full of fear when he saw a hand writing on the wall in Daniel 5:6. “Then the kings countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.” Instead of calling for help from God, he called for astrologers, magicians and soothsayers. The queen reminded the king that there was a man, named Daniel, who had the Spirit of the Holy God, who could interpret what was written on the wall by the hand. Read the rest of that chapter and find out the tragic end of the story. When fear of anticipated evil sends us away from God, rather than to Him; then fear becomes our enemy.
Fear can also cause us to not obey God. In 1 Samuel, Saul was told to destroy the plunder of an enemy. He brought it home instead. Verse 24-25 says, “then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.” In the New Testament, Peter denied Christ three times while Jesus was being beaten and spit on. He was afraid he would be treated the same way. Matthew 26, tells us that when Peter realized what he had done, he wept bitterly.
Fear can also be good. We could drive down the road at 100 mph, but we know that either we will see flashing lights behind us or cause a tragic accident. I pulled some ligaments in my foot several years ago, trying to hang a picture. I will not get up on a ladder again for fear of falling and hurting myself. (Besides, my kids have banned me from any ladders.) The fear we have for God, is positive because it is a healthy respect for our God, who is our foundation of our faith. To fear God is to respond to Him in awe, reverence and wonder. We must serve Him through our actions-shunning evil and only worship Him.
The Bible has about 365 verses that tell us not to fear. I want to give you a few here to lean on during this crisis in our country and all over the world.
Deuteronomy 10:12-14 “…what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? Indeed, heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it. “
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Psalm 56:3-4 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word). In God I have put my trust; I will not fear, what can flesh do to me?”
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
David in Psalm 27 said. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall, I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.”
You may be wondering what happened with the fear I mentioned at the first of this blog. Cannot possibly tell you nor want to revisit, all that transpired. But I will say that my husband talked to him and told him to get his life right with God, call back and he would talk to him. We never heard from him again. He passed away a few years later. Did he ever get his life right with God? I prayed that he would, but that is something I will never know for sure.
This world has evil-sickness-ugliness-fear! Even in the middle of this chaos, God is there with us. Maybe we are one of the ones who gets this virus. Maybe we will not survive the sickness. We do not know the future, but we know Who holds the future!
Am I taking precautions? Yes! Have we been to the store and gotten necessary items? Yes! I am a receptionist at a very busy animal hospital. I handle money every day and interact with people. Washing hands is essential. We are taking precautions there for our safety and of our clients. Am I afraid? Yes! But I am trying my best to calm others, myself and rely on the Bible. It is full of so many verses about fear that can calm my spirit through meditation of them. I urge you to get out your Bibles-dust them off-and get back into the word of God. Look up the word fear and read what and how God gives us peace even within the fear and uncertainty.
FEAR! Rest in God-trust in God-turn to God-pray to God-you are not alone-you are a child of God!
I am ending this blog with words from Philippians 4:6-7. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Be safe! Till next time! Keela