While directing our emotion of fear is really the answer to dealing with it, such response is sometimes the farthest thing from our minds when we're afraid. It is very easy to allow our emotion to get ahead of our reason.
Introduction
"The 911 call came into the Martin Police Department in Tennessee at the busiest time of day, when school was letting out and the roadways were choked with cars.
"A mail carrier saw some white powder in a rural mailbox. Thinking it could be Anthrax, he closed the lid and called the cops."
I'm reading from a news report taken from the FoxNews.com website on Thursday of this past week. Continuing…
"Though the postman was just being careful, that call took its toll on the tiny police force in the town of only 10,500. When the homeowner couldn't be reached, all seven officers on duty dressed in rubber containment suits and headed to the scene with a handful of firefighters.
"The mailbox had to be taken apart. The area had to be cordoned off. Traffic had to be directed. A protective container to collect the substance had to be found. Then the homeowner pulled into the drive.
"She told them the powder was pesticide.
"'Another 30 minutes, and it would have been on its way to be tested,' said Martin Public Safety Director J.D. Sanders. 'We're not equipped for that sort of stuff. It takes a lot of our resources and a lot of time.'
"Police and fire departments around the country are struggling to cope with the torrent of calls coming in from people who think they've seen anthrax.
"Because of limited resources, small-town forces often have the most trouble meeting the demands. More than 85 percent of police departments in this country serve communities of less than 25,000, Sanders said. And 80 percent of fire departments are volunteer, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs…
"…On Tuesday alone, as news swirled that anthrax-contaminated letters had reached the offices of Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and ABC News, the IAFC [International Association of Fire Chiefs] documented 2,000 calls from people worried they'd come across some of the powdery toxin themselves. That's compared to zero anthrax-scare calls on a typical day in less panic-stricken times."
There was more to this article than I took time to read this morning. I stop now because I'm reasonably sure you're aware of some of the fear spreading among our citizens in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The article closed with these words of caution:
"'Continue to be cautious, but be reasonable and use good judgment before calling the authorities….We're telling people to use a little common sense." (1)
That's certainly good advice and it is being wisely repeated all over our nation. Let's hope people heed it. The last thing we need on top of what we have already experienced is nationwide panic in America.
I don't want to talk about anthrax this morning but I do want to talk about fear. The Bible says a lot about fear and I can't think of a timelier subject.
So what about fear? What is reasonable? What is unreasonable? How do we face our fears? What does the Bible say that will help us?
An exhaustive study of the subject of fear could take us weeks to do since there is so much said about it in the scripture. We certainly don’t have time for that. Suffice it for me to say this morning that fear can be either harmful or healthy, depending on how we handle it. It can be an enemy that torpedoes all of our endeavors to do right and causes self destruction or it can be a great ally, providing us with the necessary energy to move forward and accomplish important things. Perhaps you never thought of fear as an ally, but much like the business end of a fire hose, we can turn it in a constructive direction and prevent great tragedy. We can also turn it on ourselves and others and make our lives miserable.
Fear itself is simply one of the basic God-given human emotions designed to help us survive and do the things we need to do in life. If we couldn't feel fear, we probably wouldn't last very long on this earth. I fear pulling out onto a busy street in my car without looking and that fear causes me exercise caution. More than once it has prevented an accident. When someone has no fear we call him or her "reckless" or "foolish." Sometimes we call them "dead." Fear also prepares us for action in the face of danger or, when appropriate, for flight in the face of threatening harm. Fear should not necessarily be considered an enemy, though like the other strong emotions, it can easily become one. Fear can be a friend if we use it as God intended. Like other God-given emotions such as love and hate, it's benefit or detriment is all in how we use it. For instance, love is a strong emotion. I am to love God and my neighbor. That is good. I am not to love the evil in the world. That is bad. I have a choice as to which way I will channel the emotion. Hatred is another strong emotion. I am to hate sin and evil and injustice but I am not to hate my neighbor. Again, I have the choice as to how I channel the emotion. I am to fear God and fear the consequences of sin, but I am not to allow fear to keep me from doing the things God expects me to do.
For the sake of this message, let's divide the subject of fear into two parts: harmful fear and healthy fear. Neither will be an exhaustive treatment. We'll just hit some of the high points.
1. Harmful Fear.
I have already said that fear is detrimental or useful, depending on how it is handled. It was never meant to control us. It was never meant to linger around us without our addressing it and taking appropriate, wise action. Fear that is unaddressed is dangerous. It feeds on itself. It grows and spreads. On the other hand, it should not be allowed to force us into hasty action when careful consideration is needed before we act. Whenever it does either of these, it has passed from being useful to being harmful.
While directing our emotion of fear is really the answer to dealing with it, such response is sometimes the farthest thing from our minds when we're afraid. It is very easy to allow our emotion to get ahead of our reason. Let's discuss two of the most harmful results of fear. The first is:
A. Panic
Panic is a sudden, overpowering terror. It often affects many people at once. It's can be the result of someone yelling, "Fire!" in a crowded theater. There you sit. Should you get up and run for the exit? What if everyone runs at once and you can't get out. Yes, but what if there really is a fire? You don't want to burn to death. Everyone is getting up. I'd better hurry or I might not get out. Run for the exit!
Panic is the greatest aim of any so-called terrorist because panicked people are irrational. They do stupid things that they wouldn't normally do. They give up the ability to respond wisely and become far more vulnerable than the situation merits. Panic is also contagious so that many people are affected as surely as any nuclear chain reaction. A terrorist can get a lot of "bang for the buck" if he succeeds in setting off a panic. We tend to think that the danger is only with those who can split atoms and make bombs but there is also a very real danger from those who can split us away from our reason and good sense. The destruction that can result is no less devastating.
We hear calls almost daily from our government since 9-11 to go on with our lives, to continue living - with more caution, for sure - but to continue with normal activities so as to not let the terrorists win. It's good advice. We need to take it to heart and put it into practice. What our officials are afraid of, and what any terrorist wants, is panic because panicked people cease to respond rationally to threats. The slightest hint of danger sets them off whether real or imagined. They become vulnerable. They can be overcome.
Of course, the effects of panic are not limited to our current national distress. Sometimes individuals panic and do very stupid things. I know of a case where a long time faithful wife suddenly left her husband. It was a total broadside to him (though it probably shouldn't have been). Rather than carefully and systematically find out why she left, then make a plan to rectify the situation, he panicked and did a string of very stupid things that not only worsened his marriage situation, but also destroyed his credibility with others.
I think of the Israelites backed up against the Red Sea with Pharaoh in hot pursuit. The account is in Exodus 14:10-13
And as Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever."
There may have been as many as a million and a half people backed up at that spot. They were on the verge of panic. Can you imagine what would have happened if they had?
I have distilled a four-part instruction from this that I keep handy for situations where I'm inclined to panic: There are four parts to Moses' counsel to his people who are in a predicament: (1) Get a grip on yourself. (2) Stand still. (3) Watch for the Lord to work. (4) Keep quiet.
If you consider that list carefully, you'll realize that those things are the very opposite from what panicked people usually do. Instead, they: (1) Let fear get a grip on them. (2) Begin irrational action (3) Forget the Lord (4) Say all kinds of stupid things that panic others.
The very opposite harmful effect of fear is:
B. Paralysis
Fear prepares our minds and bodies for action - sometimes for fight and sometimes for flight. Muscles tense, attention heightens and focuses, adrenaline is pumped into the system, all this to prepare us for some sort of hyper-activity. Yet somehow, for some people, fear produces the very opposite of action. It freezes them into immobility.
The problem with paralysis is that we usually end up losing. Remember the parable of the talents? One guy received five talents - one guy received two. They invested their money and doubled it before the master returned. Then do you remember the one-talent guy? What happened to him? He returned the same talent that was given by his master at first. His explanation? Its in Matthew 25:25-28.
"And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours." His fear caused him to do nothing.
So was his inaction OK with his master? Was his fear a suitable excuse that got him off the hook? Further, does God consider us unaccountable when our fear gains the upper hand and immobilizes us from doing what we're called to do? Here is what his master said:
"But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.'"
Perhaps that is part of the reason why we read in Revelation 21:7-8:
"He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Maybe you've never thought before about fear and cowardice being something that would send someone to hell. Yet here is it, straight from the mouth of God.
What is so wrong with it? It can keep us from doing what we're supposed to do.
During World War II, a military governor met with General George Patton in Sicily. When he praised the General highly for his courage and bravery, Patton replied, "Sir, I am not a brave man -- the truth is, I am an utter craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn't so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands." Years later, when Patton's autobiography was published, it contained this significant statement by the general: "I learned very early in my life never to take counsel of my fears."
Its time for us to stop giving ourselves a coward's pass and start showing some courage! Our nation and our way of life may soon require it. For all our defensiveness toward those who would remove "In God We Trust" from our coins, we'll have much more effect for God if we'll make sure the phrase is written on our hearts.
I plugged the phrase "take courage" into my computer concordance and came up with 15 entries. I also put in the phrase "be strong and courageous" and came up with 18 more. "Fear not" produced 4 more and "do not fear" produced a whopping 58 matches. I won't read them all here. I just want you to know that the Bible has plenty to say about courage in a positive sense and paralyzing fear in a negative sense.
On September 11, our nation had a painful attitude adjustment. I suspect, isn't over yet. On September 10th, we were busy idolizing raucous sports figures, rock and rap stars, and generally people whose only claim to fame was that they could be more irreverent than their competitors. Little was said anymore about self-denying courage in pre-9-11 America. Our heroes didn't need it to gain our devotion. The idea that someone might risk his or her life for the sake of someone else didn't sell magazine space or find its way into primetime. By evening of the 11th though, in the horror of the attacks, our perception of heroes had changed. Once again we admired those who conquered their fears and showed courage - firemen, policemen, and ordinary citizens willing to stand up and do what they could to prevent an evil deed even if it meant giving up their own lives. These were people who refused to take the counsel of their fears and went and did their jobs in the face of danger. These were people who conquered their fear, shunned panic and forced themselves out of paralysis - people with real courage.
Or, perhaps it is even simpler than that - as one man put it: "A hero is no braver than anyone else; he's only brave five minutes longer."
Let's move on now and talk about:
2. Healthy Fear.
I have already stated that fear is a God given emotion designed to help us survive and do the things we need to do. It becomes good or bad only by the choices we make. No discussion of fear from a biblical perspective would be complete though, without including the fear of God, which is a healthy fear.
Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10 both say, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
King David, personifying the wicked in Psalm 36:1, said, "There is no fear of God before his eyes."
The concluding verses of Ecclesiastes (12:13-14) say, "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person."
Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, "And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Peter says very succinctly in 1 Peter 2:17: "Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king."
One of the angels in Revelation 14:7 says, "Fear God and give him glory…"
Yet someone might say, "So does that mean I'm supposed to be terrified of God? I thought He was a God of love."
He is a God of love. He loves righteousness. He loves honesty. He loves respect. He loves kindness and generosity and compassion. But He hates things like lying and cheating and murder and envy and strife and adultery. And if we step back from these two lists of things God loves and hates for just a moment, it isn't hard to see that, like a good parent, He hates all those things that tear us down and He loves all those things that build us up. And from that, one can easily deduce that He loves us. So yes, He is a God of love. In fact, he loves us so much that He will not condone those things that destroy us. And He feels so strongly about His love for us that He has severe penalties for those who flaunt destructive evil and hate good. Evildoers should be terrified of Him.
Speaking of those who choose wickedness and live their lives accordingly, Jesus says in Matthew 25:46, "And these will go away into eternal punishment…." Eternal punishment is plenty to be afraid of! There is a hell awaiting those who do not fear God.
Yet those who love good and love God should also fear Him. No, it need not be the bone-chilling terror that is appropriate for the evildoer, but it should be a healthy respect for Him and a fear that is sufficient to cause us not to backslide away from Him. Listen to these words spoken by the writer of Hebrews regarding those who have once known God, then have chosen to turn away. This is Hebrews 10:31:
"It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
I said earlier that fear is a God-given emotion to help us survive and do the things we need to do in this life. The same is true when we speak of eternal life. Fear is a motivator that can be a great ally. When we were unbelievers, living against God, and we learned how badly our sin offended Him, we were motivated to make peace with Him. As believers who are still susceptible to turning back in the wrong direction, our fear reminds us of the consequences of letting go. It is only in obedient Christian living that we find reconciliation from the emotional agitation caused by fear. The Apostle Paul spoke to those who are "putting to death the deeds of the body" and are "led by the spirit of God," in Romans 8. That would be Christians who are doing their best to live like God wants them to live. Speaking to this group of people, obedient Christians, he said something significant about fear. In Romans 8:15 he said, "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons…"
Though an adopted son might deeply respect (and even fear) his father's discipline, it isn't the bone-chilling fear that it was back when he was an enemy.
The fear of God then, is a healthy fear. At first it is a terror that causes us to come to God and make peace. Then it is a healthy awe and respect that keeps us close to God. Finally, it something we are grateful for when we realize that it has caused us to be adopted into God's family.
Conclusion
I'll close by reading this short report written by Kristi Belcamino and Karl Fischer on September 13, 2001. It was published in the Contra Costa Times:
"Somewhere over Cleveland, San Ramon's Tom Burnett noticed that his flight wasn't headed home to San Francisco anymore.
When the Boeing 757 lurched into a U-turn, none of the 38 passengers knew where the plane was headed, but they knew soon enough they had been hijacked.
"Three men speaking a foreign language stalked the aisle with knives and box cutters. They showed passengers a red box, claiming it was a bomb. At least one person was stabbed.
In the cabin, in a flurry of activity, passengers huddled in groups and dialed their loved ones on cell phones, speaking quietly and quickly. One man locked himself in the bathroom and called 911.
Burnett and Jeremy Glick called their wives. The men were shocked to hear what had happened to three other planes hijacked that morning. Knowing their probable fate, they took a vote. A plan was made. The fight over control of United Airlines Flight 93 was on.
"The day after terrorists hijacked four planes, destroying thousands of lives by crashing two aircraft into the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York and a third into the Pentagon outside Washington, evidence suggests that a handful of passengers aboard Flight 93 gave their lives to prevent terrorists from crashing their plane into an unknown target, but one likely in Washington. They are being hailed as heroes." (2)
This is a fitting conclusion for this message on fear because, with everything we know about what went on aboard United Flight 93, we see some very brave men who, though fear stalked the isles of their airliner, did not panic. They were not paralyzed. Rather, drawing courage and resolve from one another in the pact they made, they faced their terror head on, made a plan, and carried it out.
Footnotes: (Use your "back" button to return to your place)
1. Small-Town Police Forces Struggle to Meet Demands of
Anthrax Scare," by Catherine Donaldson Evans
http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,36737,00.html
2. Flight 93: Heroic Struggle to Thwart Plan by Kristi Belcamino and Karl
Fischer in Contra Costa Times. http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/attack/stories/heroics_20010913.htm
Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.
Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.
All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.
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