The Problem of Fear

Have you ever experienced noises in the night and immediately your fears run away with common sense? I remember awakening one night to periodic noises that I didn’t recognize. After careful examination I found it was the ice maker dumping ice slowly from the tray. Not long ago my door bell rang late in the night about 7 or 8 times very quickly. I got up and got my Dad’s old pistol and fearfully checked the front door. I don’t  know if my Dad’s old pistol even works since it is over 50 years old. That’s what fear does to you. I found no one around. I looked out the windows front and back and saw no one. I confess my fears ran away with me. Perhaps it was a prankster.

    It is unfortunate that the media has created and used fear in the hearts of our society over the virus crisis to accomplish a political agenda. Yes, we had a serious issue of sickness going around but a 1% death rate tells us that it was not as bad as it seemed. That fear has shut down the economy causing even worse problems. Luke describes the events around the second coming of Christ and how it will affect people, “...men fainting from fear and the expectations of the things which are coming upon the world...” (Luke 21:26) The word “fear” is one of the most often used words in Scripture. There is legitimate fear such as, “for God has so worked that men should fear Him.” (Ecc. 3:14) This suggests that we should respect and honor whatever God says. On the other hand we need not have illegitimate fears as in Ps. 27:1, 3 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?” —- “Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, in spite if this I shall be confident.”

   Though it be war, an epidemic, or economic collapse we must learn to take it all to the Lord for after all, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;...” (Ps. 23:4)