This might be an unusual opinion, but I’m beginning to think that fear is a gift from God. Maybe like trials or suffering it’s more something that He uses for His own purposes in our sanctification, but sometimes it feels more like a gift.
Of course, that might depend on the object of our fear, what we really mean by fear, and how we respond to it. Scripture shows us all sorts of ways in which fear goes awry. Adam hid himself because he was afraid of God, and not in the reverential way. Saul and the Israelites refused to engage with Goliath and the Philistines out of fear. Fear of Esau drove Jacob to flee to Haran; fear of the Israelites with the power of God behind them prompted the tribal kings of the Promised Land to band together to fight against them. Fear borne out of jealousy of David incited Saul to invest significant time and resources in ultimately fruitless attempts to hunt him down. Examples of fear of the wrong thing or fear handled wrongly are all around us.
But if we look, we can also see plenty of examples of right and good fear handled wisely. David stepped up and fought Goliath because his good and right fear of the Lord outweighed the threat of the giant. We see him choose the path of reconciliation as often as possible, despite being afraid for his life at Saul’s hand. The Psalms recount for us how he took his fear to the Lord. Take a look through Scripture. You’ll find more examples of those who chose wisely in the midst of their fear, because they feared the Lord more.
We are no different. Fear of the future can motivate us to stockpile wealth as much as we are able, or it can move us to entrust our souls and our goods to a faithful Creator who knows what we need. Fear of man’s opinion can prevent us from forming authentic and genuine friendships, or it can drive us into closer communion with the One on whose love authentic friendships can be truly formed.
What are you afraid of? What are you doing with that fear? Those two questions, when answered honestly, can shine quite a powerful spotlight on our motives and on our hearts. I’d encourage you to take some time this week to think through them carefully, and also consider the wealth of wisdom Scripture has to share on the fear of the Lord.
I wish we all could fear the the Lord in the right way and face our giants with ease, but at least I sometimes don’t. As a parent I fear for my son, even though he has been a man for over a decade. As I walk with the Lord, i am slowly learning to give Him all of my fears, worries, stress, etc. Like the poem “Foot Prints in the Sand”, when the times are the toughest, He carries us. Thanks for helping us put fear in its proper place, in the Lords hands.