Fear or Friend – Psalm 46:1–3

“God is our refuge and strength,
a very sufficient help in troubles.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth change,
and though the mountains totter into the midst of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though mountains shake with its surging water.”

May I be bold enough to add, “though a virus infects throughout the earth, and though people fall, though economies totter, though our healthcare system shakes”.

We are not a people accustomed to uncertainty.  We are accustomed to regular returns, predictable profits, and a pill for every malady. We are accustomed to the refuge of a regular wage and the strong towers of a robust hospital.

Where does the anxiety of this time come from?  Why do we hear of despair from COVID’s destruction?

The earth has changed, and our response has been an innate cry for help in these time of trouble. That cry has been direcred largely toward the government.  The government, who according to the news, should possess all the resources for sufficient help.

Yet, this fact reveals the greatest deficiency of our modern world.  Society’s cry reveals it’s misplaced trust for refuge and strength.  Our greatest help in times of trouble is never the institutions of man nor the strength of one’s net worth.  

COVID is a merely another revelation of our greatest vulnerability.  We are a society in a fallen world, full of sinful people without sufficient help against the troubles of coming eternity.

Therefore, COVID is a blessing.  Any crisis that awakens a misplaced cry, serves the helpless by informing them of a trust that has drifted from the true source of strength and refuge to an illusion.

Uncertainty is a friend.  A friend does not allow loved ones to meander into destruction with insufficient refuge.  This current uncertainty can be that friend if we allow it to reveal were we have placed out trust.
https://ref.ly/Ps46.1-3 via the Logos Bible Android app.

You Got to Fear Something – Luke 12:4–7

““And I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after these things do not have anything more to do. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear the one who has authority, after the killing, to throw you into hell! 

Yes, I tell you, fear this one! 

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered! Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.  While a great political speech, it is completely untrue.

We all have something to fear. Actually, we have someone to fear. We are to fear the One who can throw us into hell!  Too many people punch out at this and lose the context of how to live with that fear.

Here is the good news, the One who can throw us in hell is also the One who values us more than many sparrows. (I’ve always wondered if this is an example of Biblical understatement. I hope so, otherwise it is not much of a compliment😁)

We all need to remember the order of the fear and fear not.  Just because we are valued by God doesn’t mean He has relinquished His authority to punish.  The fear of falling into the hands of an angry God underlies the gloriousness of the fear not.  

We cheapen the cross when we stop appreciating the fearfulness of God.  We steal the glory of grace.

A world that doesn’t fear the One who can throw them into hell is a world that has something to fear that is way more dangerous than fear itself.  The only way to escape the fearful One is to flee to the merciful One, who is the same One.

My meditation for the day will be the wrath of God.

https://ref.ly/Lk12.4-7 via the Logos Bible Android app.

QUOTE (Bernard L Montgomery)

“Every soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little battle he is to fight fits into the larger picture, and how the success of his fighting will influence the battle as a whole.”

“Discipline strengthens the mind so that it becomes impervious to the corroding influence of fear.”

~ Bernard L Montgomery

 

In honor of Bernard L Montgomery, World War II British Field Marshall, who was born on this day in 1887.

Resources:
Famous Birthdays on This Day – Nov. 17th 
Top 19 Quotes by Bernard L Montgomery

“NAKED GUY” – July 10

“…the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet,” and he did so, walking naked and barefoot.  Then the Lord said, “As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years…” Isaiah 20:2-3

There is a naked guy down at the pool.  To be fair, he is not naked all of the time but he is naked way beyond my comfort level.

2005_12_04 (Photo credit: DennisSylvesterHurd)

This particular individual feels that it is necessary to be al natural while showering off pool water.  He is the only individual who takes this approach.  Everyone else leaves their swimsuit on while showering.  Most use the communal shower pole to wash the chlorine off of their skin and out of their suits in one efficient, modest, activity.  Naked guy does not take this approach, to my consternation.

I became acquainted with naked guy a while back after a particularly good swim.  I rounded the corner into the men’s shower and was caught unaware by naked guy.  There naked guy stood with suds flowing down over all his “overish-ness”; Over fifty and over-weight do not a good naked combination make.  First impressions are difficult to overcome, add nudity, and it becomes nearly impossible.

Unfortunately, that has not been my only exposure to all that is naked guy.  My timing has been poor on a couple of other occasions.  There will be naked guy, one arm extended over his head, leaning against the shower pole, looking over with a “hey” greeting.  I work so very hard to maintain eye contact or look at anything other than naked guy but it is sort of like a car wreck.  At some point, you have to sneak a peek.  I regret every peek that I have ever sneaked.  Curse you, naked guy; I am forever scared by those mental pictures.

Needless to say, I am very uncomfortable around naked guy.

I cannot imagine Isaiah’s reaction when God told him to become naked guy.  Even worse, he was told to be a full-time, naked guy for a three year term.  That had to have had an impact on his social life.  I don’t know if an Old Testament prophet had much of a social life to start with but refusing to get dressed probably would have put the dampers on dinner party invitations.  My own family would send me packing if I showed up at Thanksgiving with my only dressing being in a bowl.

Those had to have been some lonely years for Isaiah.  He was being obedient to God’s directing and made everyone uncomfortable in the process.  The words of Isaiah’s prophecy would have been uncomfortable enough.  It had to get even more uncomfortable when the prophet went naked guy.

Isaiah’s obedience is remarkable.

I realize that my belief in Christ has made some people uncomfortable.  Conversations have been steered away from the spiritual.  Invitations have been withheld.  Facebook “friends” have disappeared.  Snide comments have been posted to my writing.  The intellectually superior have dismissed my ignorant position.

However, none of that comes close to the stigma of being naked guy for three years.

Following Christ has never been the path to popularity.  We have been called to love God above everything else – even other people’s opinions of us.  Loneliness has been the price of obedience for many who have been called to difficult paths.

Isaiah’s obedience confronts our willingness to follow Christ.  How unreservedly will you follow?  Thankfully, getting naked in public is against the law so that is a good out.  But seriously, how far does acceptable obedience go?  The problem comes when God calls His children to what most consider the unreasonable.  The Bible is full of examples of God calling his disciples, apostles, and prophets to unreasonable acts of obedience.

What is acceptable giving?
What is acceptable service?
What is acceptable sacrifice?
What is acceptable suffering?

How far does your obedience go?

Does it go to the modern version of naked guy?

PRAYER: Lord, may there be no limits to my willingness to follow you.  You know my heart and how much the thought of being naked guy scares me.  Examine my heart – show me what holds me back from the unreasonable.  All that you direct is reasonable and good.  Help me to love you with all that I am.  I pray this in the precious name of your Son, Jesus Christ.   Amen.

“TOSSING BABIES” – July 6

“O Israel, trust in the Lord!  He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!  He is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!  He is their help and their shield.”  Psalm 115:9-11

Baby Toss (Photo credit: Valdemarick)

Squeals of delight; shrieks of admonishment.  Most every father has heard both of these sounds at the same moment.

I do not know what possesses us fathers to throw our children but it must be written in our DNA.  Fathers have this strange obsession with making their progeny fly.  If it were not for the concerns of mothers and grandmothers, we probably would have made it into a sport.  I can just imagine the World Championships of the Baby Tossing.  It probably could be an Olympic event.

Like any good sport, there are some fundamentals to baby tossing that need to be mastered:

1. The power for the toss comes from the lower body.  So, a good explosive movement from bent legs is essential.  A tosser might even exhibit a small hop when transferring his upward motion into the frame of the toddler.
2. The release needs to be crisp.  Entanglement on a diaper or the clinging of small hand can send the tossee into the most irregular of patterns.  The energy is then wasted into flailing rather than soaring.
3. While the soaring occurs, the tosser has to keep his eye on the child.  ADD dads might struggle at this stage but it is critical not to become distracted while the full delights of flight are expressed in wonderful squeals of youth.
4. The most critical of all the baby tossing stages is the catch.  The arms should be extended high so the catch can be accomplished as early as possible.  This enables the speed of decent to be consumed into the arms and legs of the father as they bring their joyful child back to ground.

Baby Toss (Photo credit: deltaMike)

The most important factor in baby tossing is trust.  The child must trust his father.  For the child to fly, he must trust that his father will not drop him.  Flying can be terrifying if you are afraid of being dropped.  There can be no delight in flying upwards when all you can think about is tumbling downwards.

Therefore, trust is the difference between experiencing delight or fear.

Trust is defined as an assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.

The child who loves being tossed has an assured reliance on the character, ability,  and strength of his father.  He knows that he will be caught.  He can enjoy the flight because he is assured of the catch.  Mothers’ concerns arise because they do not have the same assured reliance in the father as their child.

The uncertainty of this world can often feel like being tossed in the air.  There are a variety of emotions that can be felt when we are tossed about but I have known very few who have described it as delightful.  I wonder if the reason we fail to enjoy the flight of a good toss comes from being so concerned with the catch.  Our unwillingness to being tossed into the unknown often has more to do with trust than prudence.

Happy Baby Toss (Photo credit: Kables)

Do you trust your Father in heaven?

Consider God’s character, his ability, his strength, his faithfulness.  We can be delighted in all of our circumstances because we have an assured reliance on being caught.  He is more than able to catch us.  He has the power to lift us high.  He has the ability to make us fly straight.  He will never take His eye off of us.  He is faithful to make everything work out for good – He promises to catch us.  Our problem is that we often don’t trust the promise.

We can soar through this world in the strength of the Spirit if we will just trust in our Father.  The difference between living in joyful delight or fear resides in trust; an assured reliance on the Father.

Who are you trusting?

PRAYER: Lord, open my eyes.  I know that I hedge.  I know that I can become so afraid of crashing that I never enjoy the delights of fully trusting in you.  Father, you are more than capable of catching me.  Lord, help me to trust You when I feel like I have been tossed high.  I pray this in the precious name of your Son, Jesus Christ.   Amen.

“LOST IN THE IMMEDIATE” – May 9

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

I can feel my heart-rate quicken as I struggle to suppress the concerns arising in my mind.  I push back against the thoughts of the unknown and try to focus on what I do know.  My mind spins through endless scenarios and a cold sweat forms on my brow at the realization that the next step will be made blindly.  I am guessing and I have no choice.  There are decisions to be made and I don’t know the answers.  I cannot know.  I infer and postulate but I don’t really know.  I theorize and deduce but I cannot foresee beyond the immediate.  I know the statistics and probabilities but my stomach clenches at the thought of my route through life being determined by the law of averages.

I am lost and I know it. 

I fight against the powerful foe of uncertainty as I struggle to know which way I should go.  There is not enough information to make a truly informed decision.  I am lost but an even worse option is to allow the security of the immediate to immobilize me any longer.  I must make my best guess at what is around this impending blind corner and do something.

I throw back the covers of my bed and roll onto my side until my feet hit the cool carpet.  I am up and prepared to be succumbed in this battle with uncertainty; countless battles await the lost in a typical day, who can only cope with uncertainty.  They can never defeat it.

This is not how I normally wake up.  I usually roll out of bed without a second thought of the uncertainty inevitably entailed in the coming day.  I rarely ponder the transient nature of my plans.  I make various assumptions to prepare my daily schedule.  My assumptions are usually right but that does not mean that my schedule is anything more than a guess.  There are some things that we just cannot know.  There is no road map.  If I had the road map of life, then  I would probably make a whole slew of decisions differently. We can make wise and informed decisions based on the available information but that is different from knowing.  That is different from having a trusted guide.

We consider ourselves lost in the temporal world when we do not know how to get from point A to point B.  We will not feel certain if we were to leave on a trip without an understanding of the route.  Anxiety is the resulting emotion from having to plot a course without the certainty of a guide.

The reality is that no one knows what tomorrow holds.  We do not know if there is a surprise in the very next second.  The future is blind to our eyes.  We are all lost in the moment because no one who can foresee the future.  Visions of the future are hopes and dreams; creations of the mind based on a preponderance of logical inferences and assumptions.  The plans that we lay out for tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, next decade are a guess.  They may be  informed guesses but still guesses.  They are guesses because we are lost in the immediate and the future is a dark labyrinth of uncertainty.

I am amazed at the apparent ease of most people in the face of so much uncertainty in their life.  This comfort with uncertainty probably comes from the fact that we do not know anything differently.  I probably would never be anxious about setting out on a trip without a map if I had never read a map.  If I never had experienced guidance, then I probably would be very comfortable in a perpetual state of being lost.   We awake every morning to engage our day in confidence without a second thought because that is all we have ever known.

We are all lost whether we want to admit it or not.  However, we don’t have to be.  There is one who is not bound by the temporal.  There is one who can see through the future’s dark labyrinth of uncertainty.

God is the only one who can truly remove uncertainty of the future. 

As a follower of Christ, I do not know the future.  I have not been given the road map to know what is behind ever corner.  That is why I am a follower.  I accept by faith that God knows the plans that He has prepared for me.  I accept by faith that His plans are for my welfare and that He is working all things together for good. (Romans 8:28)

I don’t need to know the future.  I am lost in the immediate but I have a faithful guide.  I have the Creator of the future laying out a path for me.  My job is to follow by faithfully setting my mind on Him.  The decisions of life do not have to cause me anxiety.  When faced with a particular unknown corner, I pray.  I seek the Lord for guidance, through the scriptures and prayer.  I focus my mind on the things of the Spirit and I do what seems right to me at that moment with the information that is available at that time.  I make the decision in faith with the understanding that my Lord knows my mind.  He knows what influences me.  He knows how I will react.  My decisions will not be a surprise to Him.  He knows all about me and He loves me.  My decisions, as fallible as they may be, are a part of His plan that is being worked out for my welfare and good.

Those who are in Christ may be lost in the sense of what tomorrow holds but they are not lost in the sense of their final destination.  A child of God need not worry about the uncertainty of the future because they have a faithful Guide who will lead them to eternal life.

This is why we follow by faith.  We would be lost if we did not.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for laying a path for me.  Thank you for the assurance of knowing that You are working out everything, in ways I cannot even comprehend, for my welfare and good.  Father, forgive me for worrying about the future.  Forgive me for the unbelief that I demonstrate when the uncertainty of the future preoccupies my mind.  Help me to trust you.  Help me to set my mind on the things of  You and not on the uncertainty of this world.  I pray this in the precious name of your Son, Jesus Christ.   Amen.

“KALEIDOSCOPE OF A PEOPLE” – May 6

“Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who give breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it. ”  Isaiah 42:5

We made the day-long drive back from the NCFCA Regional Speech and Debate Tournament where my son competed.  We caravanned across the expanses of the State of Washington and Eastern Oregon with two other families from our club.  At one of our many stops, a club member asked me, “Mr. Blom, what was your favorite experience from the competition?”

My immediate response was the duo interpretation finals.  I was so glad that I did not have to judge these exceptional speeches and I could just lean back and enjoy them.  Several of the speeches caused me to belly laugh, nearly to the point of being a distraction.  They were so funny I had tears running down my eyes. If you have never seen this type of speech, I have attached a couple links to previous duo interpretation competitions.

We all climbed back into our mini-Van cages and proceeded across the wide plains of Eastern Oregon.  It gave me time to contemplate my answers.  I think that I may have answered too hastily.  While I did full enjoy the duo interpretation finals, I don’t believe that was what I will remember most about the competition.  I think that what I will remember most about the competition are the people.  I was so blessed by the people at this competition in a kaleidoscope sense.

I am always encouraged by the gathering of God’s people.  I particularly love the gathering of His people from diverse areas and backgrounds.  I realize that this competition was not that diverse since it was a gathering of individuals from just across the west.  Never the less, there is something special about watching people who have never met or interacted extensively with one another  exhibit the same Spirit.  I am blessed to watch people with such different personalities and experiences worshiping the same God, together.   I realize that God has blessed us with a wonderful canvas of His own people.

When we gather together in events like an NCFCA competition, where His people are drawn from far and wide, we get a wonderful opportunity to behold the Master Artist.  We are all created in the image of God but have you considered what a wonderfully extensive palate of color He uses to display that image through His people.

I saw people who are wonderful bursts of energy; vibrant colors thrown against the canvas in a chaotic merging of purpose and mess.

I saw individuals of stoic self-control; very precise pencil portraits in black and white but with incredible depth and detail.

I saw refined people; as detailed as any Dutch-master oil painting with careful brush strokes and a careful balance of light and energy.

I saw the delicate; finely crafted water-colors with so smooth and transparent edges.

I saw the bold; block and aggressively bold with a particular few colors that make their statement.

I saw the reserved; charcoal drawings that are easy to overlook until you gaze into the depths of the shading to see the master’s hand.

I saw the unique; the cubist approach that views the world from a wholly unique perspective.

I saw the informative; pure information unadulterated by form.

And I saw all combinations of these, beautiful mingled personalities forming a wonderful kaleidoscope of colors and depths that seemed to change with every walk down the hall or turn of a corner.

I don’t think that we really understand how deeply blessed we are by the variety of personalities that God has given His people.  It would be a very boring and drab world if everyone was like me.  I probably would not be as easily irritated by these strange other people if they would simply think like me but consider what we would be missing.

God is displaying His masterpiece every time His people come together.  He has used a mind-boggling array of colors and depths in this portrait that He has continued to craft throughout the centuries.  In every generation, He gives vibrant life to His people in surprising ways and masterful strokes of His mighty hand and every generation comes together into an exquisite portrait of the same image – His Spirit.  Stand back at any large gathering of God’s blessed people and the image that should come through from the variety of personalities, experiences, joys, sorrows, failures, and victories is God.  He is proclaiming His mighty Name through the masterpiece of His people.

That was the image I was blessed to see these last several days and that was my favorite experience from the NCFCA Regional Tournament.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for blessing us in ways that we do not often even realize.  Lord, help me to slow down and behold.  Give me eyes to see your hand in all things.  Thank you for your people.  Thank you for displaying your Spirit through us.  May we never diminish that blessing.  I praise you and pray this in the precious name of your Son, Jesus Christ.   Amen.

Related Articles and Links:

1st place Duo Interpretation NCFCA Nationals

Grayum Pitzele The Hobbitt, Duo Interp, NCFCA Nationals 2011

“Cheaper By The Dozen” NCFCA 2010 National championship Duo Interp

A FUTURE IN GOOD AND CAPABLE HANDS – Jan. 21

“DAMAGING NORMAL” – May 3

“DAMAGING NORMAL” – May 3

“O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! ”  Psalm 84:12

National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am on the last day of a four-day, National Christian Forensics and Communications association (NCFCA), Regional tournament.  I believe I am on the verge of a severe speech and debate overdose and may need an extended recovery period.  However, my over-exposure to so many excellent speech and debate competitors has provided me with a unique perspective that has led to a startling conclusion.

Based on my observation, I am resolved that prolonged exposure to NCFCA will result in permanent brain damage.

Fact No.1:  The typical brain responds to public speaking with a fear induced adrenaline dump resulting in flight.

Fact No. 2:  The severity of the typical brain’s fear response increases inversely with a decrease in speech preparation time.

Fact No. 3:  The typical brain will become inoperable when public speaking is combined with the reality that other people are actually judging their speaking performance.

Over the last couple days, I have observed students that do not exhibit any of the common and expected manifestations of a normally functioning brain.  The common denominator among these students is exposure to the NCFCA.

I have watched young people get up in front of their peers and do fairy tale interpretations, complete with silly voices and actions – that should be scary.

I have seen some competitors deliver speeches on current event topics, with limited preparation.  I don’t think that some of these competitors were prepared for their selected topic but they got up to deliver their speech in spite of this – that should have sent them to the bathroom for a good purge.

I have seen adolescents tackle deep theological questions in front of stern looking adults – what could be more terrifying for a teenager?

These NCFCA students do not exhibit normal responses.  The ease at which these students accomplished these activities demonstrates that there is something abnormal about their brains.

Those who have been in NCFCA for extended durations often enter multiple events.  These are the students who do what is called the Ironman of speech and debate.  The Ironman competitors enter at least five speech competitions and the debate competition.  The result of this particular malady is that these competitors often can give more the 24 speeches in a day and still enjoy the process.

That is conclusive evidence of a completely damaged brain.  Their exposure to NCFCA has probably damaged them for the rest of their lives.

They will most likely suffer from an annoying ease in standing in front of other people and communicating effectively and persuasively.

This is an example where damaging normal is a good thing.  There are so many other areas in our lives where normal needs to be likewise damaged.

It can take a long time for the fear response of our brains to be sufficiently broken.  In my opinion, it is best for a person to face their fears in small controlled events that irradiate their natural fear response from one degree to a lesser degree.  These NCFCA students have successfully killed the debilitating fear of public speaking by doing what most people would never consider doing.  They typically started speaking in small classes; then moved onto broader groups in the clubs; then they enter one event at a competition; and then more, until they are orating three days of more than twenty speeches per day.  The more often they submit their fears to action, the easier it has become to overcome.  In addition, they have surrounded themselves with doers.  They are encouraged by their peers and coaches to do more and improve.

NCFCA is a fear killing organization that is permanently changing how our children communicate with the world they live in.

I have meditated on the successfulness of the NCFCA.  I am convinced that we need various forms of NCFCA-like organizations in our lives.  Our spiritual lives are so often inhibited by fear.  Consider our apprehension – fear – of fully trusting God.  We can be so fearful of trusting God that we live in the adrenaline induced world of the control-freak.  We try to control our little worlds through a deception created by fear.

The majority of people find it a fearful activity to trust God with all that they value.  That is not considered normal by this world.  Trusting in the sovereignty of God is considered strange and weird by many.  It is considered irresponsible due to fear.

We need to work at killing this fear by the same principles of the NCFCA.  We kill our inner control freak by doing – trusting God.  When we trust God in the small way, then we will realize that He is trustworthy.  When we trust God in close and trusted environments, then we will discover that He knows what we need.  The longer we are engaged in the action of actually trusting God and being around those who trust God the more we discover that there is nothing to fear.  The sovereignty of God is a reality that we experience when we trust God.

The apprehension of trusting God can be killed by facing our fear and going forward in faith, despite our fear.

Step out in faith and your brain will be changed permanently from the normal and prepared for the extraordinary.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for transforming our hearts.  Thank you for changing how we think.  Thank you for killing fear.  Lord, you have been so good to me.  You have been so faithful.  Forgive me for not trusting you like I should.  Show me those areas in my life where I am not trusting you.  Help me to step out in faith; my your Spirit kill my sin of fear.   I pray this in the precious name of your Son, Jesus Christ.   Amen.

“SLAYING FEAR” – April 25

“For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. “ 2 Chronicles 20:12b      “…Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:12b

“Only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933

This is a quote that anyone who has studied 20^th Century American History will recognize. It is a quote that gets dusted off when something disturbing happens.  It gets placed in the mortar and pestle of political speech writers to create various elicitors intended to inoculate the masses against discouragement.

However, the quote is somewhat ridiculous when taken out of the context of the speech.  The only thing that we have to fear is fear itself – really?  There are a lot of things in this world that worth fearing more than being afraid.

I would rather be afraid than:

…to have actual bombs be set off at marathons.

… gunmen shooting through schools.

…dictators launching nuclear missiles.

…planes flown into buildings.

…asteroids striking the earth.

…fertilizer plants exploding.

…storms washing away homes and businesses.

…cancer.

…bankruptcy.

…persecution.

…assault and rape.

…random accidents.

…chaos.

I would rather be afraid than have any of those bad events actually happen.  It seems to me that a more rational question is why aren’t more people afraid.

Fear Filled Bathtub (Photo credit: Kewima)

Fear is not a bad thing.  Fear serves a very important purpose.  The problem with many of the manifestations of this FDR quote is that they attempt to deny fear.  Fear was not intended to be denied.

We all live in a world that is beyond our control.  It is beyond the control of any individual person or government.

There are people in this world that will do bad things no matter what restrictions, incentives/dis-incentives, or educational efforts are made. 

There are acts of nature that no man-made edifices can withstand.  

There are forces in this world that are beyond our control. 

Fear shows us our powerless state.  It reveals our helpless condition.  Fear devours the adequacy of our answers.  There will inevitably come a time for every person when they simply do not know what to do.  We all are guaranteed to discover the inadequacy of our human answers in the face of the overwhelming power of death.  All of mankind is powerless to death.  Death should be feared by fallen man. It is foolishness to deny our powerlessness condition with trite quotes.

All fear, particularly fear of death, has a very important purpose.  Fear is a God created response in man that was designed to turn us toward God.

It is at the foot of fear where we are forced to admit that we do not know what to do.  Fear humbles us.  It is often only when our answers run-out that we look for answers beyond ourselves.  Fear has served its purpose when we are humbled under the mighty hand of God; when our answers have run-out and we turn our eyes onto God.  That is when he will exalt us.  God is our only true and complete answer to fear.

It is only in God that fear can actually be vanquished.  All other answers will only suppress and deny the fear of the powerless.  It is only when we place all of our hope in God our Father that we can know the joy that this world can do nothing to us of eternal consequence.

It is only in Christ when our battles become the Lord’s.

Fear can be a debilitating beast.  Fear can paralyze us.  If you are in Christ, you have been set free.  You have been set free from those real fears that bind and debilitate.  Set the fears that hinder you before our Lord, acknowledge that you don’t know what to do, and set your eyes upon Him and Him alone.  Cast all of your cares upon Him because he cares for you.(1 Peter 5:7)

We are powerless but we have a powerful God, who is for us.  Our battles are His battles and there is nothing that is too hard for Him.

May we pray the same prayer from FDR’s inaugural address that included the quote on fear, “…we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days to come.” FDR’s First Inaugural Address .

PRAYER: Thank you for defeating sin.  Thank you for breaking death.  You reign in majesty and power.  Your kingdom cannot be defeated. All things are possible in You.  I have nothing to fear because of You.  I am secure in You.  I am victorious in You despite any pain, failure, heartache, or opposition.  I shall not fear.  I shall not fear!  I shall not fear for my hope is in You, the King of kings and Lord of lords. You are my God and I will rest in You, to your praise and glory.  I praise You and pray this in the precious name of your Son, Jesus Christ.   Amen.

“WHAT IS THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN” – Mar. 11

“But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.  And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.  For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”  So Ananias departed and entered the house.”  Acts 9:13-17a

I got an email from a good friend with this image attached.

The text that he sent me was, “So, you wanna tackle my 30 mile training loop tomorrow…I think I’m going to try.  It is supposed to be 58 with mild wind.”

My immediate response was, “no.”  I had an entire list of reasons why I was not particularly interested in doing this ride.  The chief reason was that I was not prepared.  This would be my first outdoor ride of the season on my road bicycle.  The wisdom of tackling 30 miles with approximately 1,700 feet of vertical climbing as my emergence from winter hibernation was escaping me.  I could not believe that my friend would suggest this ride as my first ride of the season.

I hemmed and hawed in delay of my response to the insensitive request.  I could come up with an assortment of reasons not to do it but I continued to stumble over one question, “what is the worst that could happen?”

I could bonk.

There are a lot of alternative routes back that could shorten the ride.

I could gas-out on a climb.

I can push a bike up a hill; I have done it before.

I could be dropped by my friend.

I will just arrive a little later at our destination.

I will be sore the next day.

I have been sore before.  It is not that bad.

There was not a response to the question of  “what is the worst that could happen” that should prevent me from doing this ride.  So, I hesitantly emailed my friend back, “I am in.”

Yesterday, we went and did the ride.  We ended up cutting 3 miles and one climb (500 vertical feet) from our planned route but overall it was a great ride.  It was challenging.  There was one particular climb where I slowed and my thighs screamed to the point that I almost put my foot down but I did not and finished well.  I discovered that I was better prepared for this season of cycling than I realized.

I wonder how you get prepared for the message that Ananias received from the Lord.  Ananias must have had an entire list of reasons not to go.  The chief reason was that this man Saul could have him killed.  We all have the benefit of knowing the whole story.  Ananias did not know how his story was going end when he went to meet Saul.  As he closed the door to his home, the Lord had told Ananias about His plans for Saul but He had not said anything about His plans for him.  Ananias’ step from his home was a step of faith.

I wonder if Ananias considered the possibility that he was leaving his home for the last time.

I wonder if Ananias considered the answers to the question, “what is the worst that could happen?”

I wonder if Ananias thought, “I am not prepared for this.”

We know that Ananias left his home and entered the house where the blinded Saul was staying. Ananias must have concluded that there was not any response to the question of  “what is the worst that could happen” that would be good enough to prevent him me from not doing what the Lord had told him.  Ananias was all in.

I can only conclude that Ananias had come to a conclusion similar to that in Hebrews, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)  Ananias discovered through his obedience that the Lord had prepared him better than he may had ever imagined.

Most of us will never have to face a calling as dramatic as that of Ananias.  For many of us, the answer to the question of  “what is the worst that could happen” to the Lord’s leading is not death.

What do I have to fear; what can man do to me?

Our Lord may be calling you to something very scary.  He might be directing you to something that you feel completely unprepared for.  Ask yourself, “What is the worst that could happen?”   Is there a response to that question that is good enough to prevent you from not going down the path that the Lord is guiding you onto?

Step out in faith.  I believe that you will discover that you are better prepared than you ever thought.

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for your work of preparation in my life.  I realize that I am not even aware of most of it.  Father, grant me the faith of Ananias.  Prepare me so that I can conclude that there is nothing that I have to fear from men.  Enable me to see You clearly and desire You more than anything.  Amen