05/30/2020
When we are going through a trying time in our life how do we react to it? Do we worry, and stress, over what is occurring to the point that our health is affected, or do we turn to the Lord, and trust in Him to calm the turbulence that is buffeting us? Fear is a natural occurrence in life, but too much of it is detrimental to our wellbeing. God looks after His children, and can fix any problem that is tossing us about, but is our faith strong enough to trust in Him, and do we do His will?
“And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”
Matthew 8:26 ESV
In my teen years I worked for a while at a game farm where people came to hunt pheasants, quail, partridge, and ducks. We had many dogs on the farm that were trained to point, flush, and retrieve... they were working dogs. Whenever a customer came to hunt we would set birds around the farm, and one of the guides would select a pointer, setter, or one of the other breeds, and take the hunters out to shoot these plump grain fed birds; just as if they were wild, and living there naturally. The dogs were trained to hunt, and couldn’t be afraid when the guns went off. We are a lot like those dogs; we have a purpose, but if we are afraid it gets in the way of our obedience to God’s will for us.
“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
On that farm the dogs were expected to work, and quite honestly they loved to do this... it was bred into them and as natural for them as flying was to the birds. They would run back and forth between rows of corn stubble, and sniff out every inch of a fence row, until at last they would smell the scent of a bird, and then, as if they had run into a wall, they would come to a sudden halt and freeze with their tails held high, and head contorted so that their nose was pointing towards the source of the scent. Some of them would be so excited that their bodies would quiver as the hunters eased into position. All the while the guide would be commanding the dog to “Hold, Hold”, until everyone was ready, then he would give the command to “Flush em up!” At hearing this command the dog would spring forward and a bird would erupt into the sky with a flurry, and the guns would erupt in a roar. If all went as planned the bird would drop to the ground, and the dog was Immediately commanded to “Fetch”, then to “Come!” as he brought the bird back go the guides waiting hand. Every command had to be obeyed, and every instinct held in control so that the hunt would be successful. This is similar to us as God maneuvers us by command, and knowing our natural behavior, directs us as we do His will. In this effort God, the handler, commands, and we, the excited pointer, must obey. We are invaluable to God, and Paramount to accomplishing His will.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Matthew 10:29-31 ESV
In training dogs to hunt you occasionally run into one that is full of fear, or skittish as we call them. Sometimes their senses are at such a heightened state that that even sudden gestures can cause them to draw back, or bolt. Dogs like this will hunt by their very nature, but they will not obey the commands, and when the guns are fired they will cower, or run away... In this way they are of no use to the hunter. When we do not obey God’s commands we are much the same...
““But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.”
Deuteronomy 28:15-16 ESV
On the game farm there was such a dog. She was a beautiful English Setter, but was nervous, and when a gun was fired she would bolt back to the farmhouse and cower at the gate to her pen. The dog handler worked with her extensively, but to no avail, so the decision was made that he would put her down. A dog that would not hunt was of no use to him. I had grown to love this dog, so I pleaded my case, and was allowed to take her home as my pet.
All the way home she laid on the front seat of my car, and quivered with her head in my lap as I spoke gently to her. I kept her inside the house with me where I fed, watered, walked her on a leash, and petted her constantly. She grew to know me and would greet me at the door when I came home. This went on for a few weeks until at last I thought we had bonded, and I could let her off the leash in my fenced back yard. So we walked out the door, and I released her from the leash. She looked at me a moment and then bolted down the hill to the furthest point in the yard where she climbed the fence and disappeared into the woods. I called her back repeatedly, but it was useless.
““Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”
Luke 6:46 ESV
I searched for her in my car, and took long hikes in the countryside calling her name, but never saw her again. I had saved her life, and offered her a good home where she would want for nothing, but the overwhelming fear in her, and her own instincts, her own will, were too strong. It was stronger in her than the love I offered. God offers His love to us too, but sometimes our fears are stronger than the faith we have in Him, and though he showers us with his love, and goodness, we will not obey His commands, nor do His will. We too run away, and choose unwisely to live a meager existence until we eventually die.
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
James 4:17 ESV
And as we all know...
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 ESV
So fear rises up in overwhelming fashion from our lack of faith, and in our fear we become unresponsive, or disobedient, to God‘s commandments to the point that we will not do His will. Are any of us fighting against fear today? Are we allowing our lack of faith, and trust in God, to keep us from obeying His commands? By our very nature of fear are we sentencing ourselves to a life of Abandonment, sin, and a hopeless death? If so it is time to revisit our faith, and come to trust in God through His Son Jesus Christ so that, like Him, we will forever love Him, and do our Father’s will.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your gentle hand that calms me and removes the fear of faithlessness. I thank you for calling me to do your will, and providing for me as I do. I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who intercedes for me when I am at odds with your commandments, and leads me back into compliance with your will. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God whose patience in me is overshadowed only by your love, and grace. I praise you Holy Father, and desire to do your will always. My prayers rise up to you as I reach out for your deliverance from harm and the fear it fosters in me. Shield me from temptation Lord, and guard me against all evil as I trust in you now, and forevermore. Shower me with your love, and cover my wounds with the salve of your grace through Jesus. Open my ears to your voice, and circumcise my heart as I do as you wish. My head lays in your lap, and your voice does sooth my fear... give me release from it now, and forever as I worship you.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalm 23:6 ESV
Rich Forbes