Written by Dawn Rutan
I’m reading the book Fearless, by Suzanne D. Williams, which has some helpful and encouraging thoughts in regards to fear. She points out that Philippians 3:13 calls us to forget (no longer care for) those things that lie behind. “Allowing the cares of life, in this case the fear, to operate in my mind causes any seed of God’s Word planted in my heart to never do what it was planted to do… It is God’s will that ‘not a trace’ of the memory of this fear remain. Instead, we remember the power of the Lord, which brings our deliverance” (44). She urges readers to lay hold of these verses:
Isaiah 41:12-13 (ESV)- “You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’”
Isaiah 26:13-14- “O Lord our God, other lords besides You have ruled over us, but Your name alone we bring to remembrance. They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end You have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them.”
It’s amazing how fears seem to take on a life of their own—a family member doesn’t call at the designated time, and suddenly they “must be” at death’s doorstep; a boss criticizes you so he “must be” planning to fire you; and so on. If all our fears came true, the world would have exploded long ago.
Why do we let our fallen imaginations have more power over us than God’s Word? The past and the future are not living beings. Whatever we remember and whatever we can imagine have no real power. God dwells with us in His eternal present. As we live in His presence, and because of His power and love, we have nothing to fear. And yet many of us live quite fearfully. We live in a culture of anxiety, and we try to medicate the symptoms without addressing the root problem. At heart, we are not trusting God to be God. We have set ourselves on the throne, desiring to be in control but lacking the ability to control anything.
I’m not trying to point fingers at anyone but myself. I would love to blame physiology, sociology, or psychology, but mostly it is bad theology. My thoughts don’t line up with what I say I believe about God. Either He is in control, or He’s not omnipotent. Either He knows the future better than I do, or He’s not omniscient. Either He’s at work all around me in ways I can’t begin to comprehend, or He’s not omnipresent. Who am I to worry whether He’ll take care of my problems?
“God, did you know that…?” I know.
“But what about…?” I’m taking care of it.
“But the deadline is…” My timing is perfect.
“OK, so what can I do?” Just rest, child.
“He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand” (Psalm 121:3b-5).
For more on this subject, check out- http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/use-anxiety-to-your-advantage
© 2016 Dawn Rutan. The views stated may or may not reflect the beliefs of the pastor or leadership of Dulin’s Grove Church.
