08/31/2019
Are you afraid? What is fear that it makes us tremble so mightily, or cower so completely when it comes upon us? Is there something that brings you such fear... something that wells up inexplicably from deep inside? Is there a fear that is so complete that it incapacitates you? If so, where do you turn for relief? Who do you call on for rescue? Is God able to comfort you, and calm your fears?
“"I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,”
Isaiah 51:12 ESV
I have a fear. I have a fear that comes upon me so completely that it is like a seizure which grips a person and causes them to quake uncontrollably. My fear consumes every part of me, and leaves nothing untouched... nothing working as it should. I usually avoid the circumstances that trigger it, but a couple of weeks ago I was forced to face it in dramatic fashion. I have a fear of heights, and edges... my fear is deeply rooted in falling, but also in dread.
“and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
Hebrews 2:15 ESV
We all have fears; I read a biblical article concerning fear, and it began by stating that several different words in the Bible have been translated into the single word “fear.” This author then proposed that there were three basic types of fear, there is reverential, constitutional, and carnal fear.
Reverential fear is the fear of failing God, and is rooted in our awe of Him. This is a good fear to have...
“Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
Psalms 2:11-12 ESV
Constitutional fear is a fear that serves to preserve us... such as the fear of snakes, evil people... the fear of Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’... lions, and tigers, and bears... oh my. These are fears that God has given us to protect us from harm, and when functioning normally they are good.
The final fear is carnal fear, and it is based in anxiousness and dread. Adam and Eve expressed carnal fear when they hid themselves from God. Death, and evil, are at the root of this fear, and it is a type of fear that is always bad.
“But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."”
Genesis 3:9-10 ESV
The only relief from this type of fear comes from God, but He can most assuredly give us comfort, and release us from it...
“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.”
Psalms 23:4 ESV
So what was the fear I faced, and why was it so debilitating? I have an unwarranted fear of heights and falling that go beyond the norm. My fear leaves the realm of constitutional fear and blends with carnal fear. Listen to my account...
I was in Whitefish, Montana for a destination wedding, and the wedding party decided to take an open air tour bus called ”The Red Bus Tour” up a very narrow road into the Rocky Mountains to a place on the Continental Divide called Logan Pass. This road is cut from the sheer cliffs of towering peaks, and although incredibly beautiful, and awe inspiring, it is extremely narrow, winding, and looks down over the edge of cliffs into chasms hundreds of feet below... some so deep that you are looking at the tops of clouds.
As we began our ascent I was enjoying the scenery, and worshiping God for all the beauty that was surrounding me, but then everything changed. Suddenly we were on the edge of the first great mountain, and as I looked down from the bus, from a perch so near the edge of the precipice that I couldn’t see the rocks that separated the road from a fall of over 800 feet, fear struck me. I looked over at my wife’s face and she was experiencing the beauty, but I was on the edge of panic, and every nerve in my body was coursing electricity, while my mind was screaming “BE AFRAID!” The view, and scenery was overcoming Ann, and the mountains surrounding us were an awesome spectacle that no one in their right mind could have seen as being anything but God’s handiwork, but I was separated from all of that majesty by intense fear... an emotion so overwhelming that I clutched the seat-back in front of me and held on for dear life.
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
I found myself struggling to pray, and asked why I, a man who faithfully trusts in God to relieve him of every fear, could be so crippled by it now. “Lord Help Me!” Was my prayer, and yet all I heard in return was my beating heart, and God’s silence. My fear was complete. Have you ever felt such fear? Have you ever prayed for help, and heard only silence? Well, until this moment I had never felt such intense fear and helplessness. I was living out the fear of Saul, and feeling the fullness of it as portrayed in scripture; his fear became real to me...
“When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.”
1 Samuel 28:5-6 ESV
In such moments when fear rules us, and God is silent, we learn a great deal about ourselves, our faith, and God. We either continue to hold onto His promise of saving us from our fears, or we let go of His hand and give into the fear, perhaps we even seek help elsewhere.
“Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a medium at En-dor."”
1 Samuel 28:7 ESV
It wasn’t until later, when We had reached the summit at Logan Pass, and began our return trip down the same mountain road on which I had suffered such great fear that I realized I was calm, and the fear was gone. Now I was on the inside lane of traffic, and the edge of the precipice was eleven feet away. Now I could look freely around, and fully appreciate what had been hidden from me by my earlier fear. At that moment I realized that in the midst of my greatest fear I had never ceased my prayers, nor abandoned my trust in God for preservation. I realized that although I was still in the midst of my sensory storm I had held to my faith. His answer came amazingly in silence...
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalms 34:4 ESV
When we reached the Continental Divide at Logan Pass we stopped for a rest, and to visit the tourist center there, but as I stood on a large rock, and turned completely round, making a video of the tall mountains that surrounded us in every direction, I was struck by something greater than the view; I experienced the silence... it was so intense, it was like the quiet I heard as a boy when large flakes of snow were falling in Germany, and they muffled the world. I could hear now what I heard then... the nearly imperceptible whisper of God. You see, sometimes the silence of God contains His answer; we just need to know how to listen.
“And the high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" But Jesus remained silent..."
Matthew 26:62-63 ESV
So in our moments of fear, we are promised comfort by God, and although we prefer to hear His voice boldly say “Fear Not!”, sometimes we get our answer in the quiet between the snow flakes, in the silence of the wilderness... in the whisper of God that we often mistake for His silence. Are you suffering fear today? Are you trembling, praying, and hearing only silence? Well, fear is a storm, sometimes one that no one sees but us, but we are meant to hold tight to His hand, and praise Him in the midst of it!
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the storms of fear in our lives that bring us closer to you. Thank you for our prayers that you boldly answer, and the fears that you lift miraculously from us, but thank you most Holy Father for those times of our greatest fear when your silence leads us to understand the depths of your heart, the truth in your Word, and the strength of our faith. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who raises up the mountains, and places us on their precipices. Great is your mercy that shows us your awesome splendor, and then gives our faith wings to soar above the depths of fear that surround us. Praised be your name Father as we stand in the storm, and lean on your promise even as the winds of fear rage within us, and threaten to destroy us. Amazing is your silence, and the whispers of eternity that echo there. All glory is yours Father, forevermore shall we find grace through your Son Jesus, who faced the fear of the cross, and yet obeyed your will.
“saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.”
Luke 22:42-43 ESV
Rich Forbes