Fear

Genesis 3: 1-8

1 Peter 3: 13-14, 2 Corinthians 7: 5

Matthew 14: 22-33

Fear

Mark Twain tells a story in one of his books about his a visit to the Holy Land and a stay in Capernaum. It was a moonlit night, so he decided to take his wife on a romantic boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Twain asked a man in a rowboat how much he would charge to take them out on the water. The man saw Twain's white suit, white shoes and white hat and supposed he was a rich Texan. So he said the cost would be twenty-five dollars. Twain walked away as he said, "Now I know why Jesus walked."

There seems to be no limit to our fears. In a peanuts cartoon strip Charlie Brown goes to Lucy for a nickels worth of psychiatric help. She proceeds to pinpoint his particular ‘fear’. “Perhaps”, she says, “you have hypengyophobia, which is the fear of responsibility.” Charlie Brown says no. “Well, perhaps you have ailurophobia, which is the fear of cats.” No. “Well, maybe you have climacophobia, which is the fear of staircases.” No. Exasperated, Lucy says “Well, maybe you have pantophobia, which is the fear of everything.” “Yes”, says Charlie, “that is the one!”

In the story of creation found in the Book of Genesis, we read where Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, something which had been specifically denied them. Knowing that God is searching for them, they attempt to hide. It is a scene perhaps reminiscent of many of our childhoods when we had done something that we were not supposed to and we literally hid from our searching parents. Finally God finds them, as we know that He will, for, after all, where can we go to hide from God? God asks them why they are hiding. Do you remember the response that Adam gave: “Because, I was afraid?”

I think this story reminds us that fear is so basic to whom we are as humans, it goes all the way back to the beginning of time. To be human is to experience fear.

Sometimes we feel like we are afraid of everything. We are afraid of ourselves. We are afraid of people. We are afraid of the future. We are afraid of the past. We are afraid of life. We are afraid of death.

“Do not be afraid.” The scriptures make this announcement over and over again. These are usually the first words out of angel’s mouths. Abraham, Moses, Mary, Joseph, shepherds tending their flocks, Paul sitting in a jail cell, the women looking for Christ’s body at Easter and disciples rowing a boat in the strong wind all hear these words. In all, these words occur almost 100 times in the scriptures. Apparently, humans are very fearful creatures and we are in need of faith to function properly in the world.

Every person, every Christian, must fight their own fears. Even Paul, the sturdy Christian warrior, had to do so. Paul had fallen flat on his face in Athens. He did exactly what he intended not to do, and in his own eyes he had failed. He wrote of his arrival in Corinth: “For when we came into Macedonia we had not rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings; within were fears.” Paul was full of fears, just like you and me--the fear of inadequacy, the fear of failing.

But perhaps the most surprising fear of many people and one that we do not like to address is the fear of God. It is the fear that God is not really on our side. It is the fear that God will put us out on a limb and leave us.

It is not a new idea. One of the great fears of the ancient people was that their gods would fall asleep. Can you imagine such a thing? When the prophets of Baal could not get their Gods to rain down fire on the top of Mt. Carmel, Elijah taunted them: Maybe your God is asleep, he said. On the other hand, the Jews took great comfort in the fact that the God of Israel neither slumbered nor slept.

Over and over again the message of the Bible is fear not. When Abram took his family to the Promised Land he feared that he was turning his back on everything he knew, his security for the unknown. God spoke to him: Fear not Abram, I am your shield and your reward will be great. When the Jews stood at the Red Sea and could see Pharaoh’s chariots coming on the horizon, they cried out that they would all be slaughtered. Moses said to them: Stand still, fear not, and see the salvation of the Lord. When the angel of the Lord came to Mary and said that she would bear a child, she trembled with fear. What would become of her? Said the angel: Fear not Mary, for you have found favor with God. Fear not! Fear Not! It is how we would like to live. How do you do it?

The disciples were afraid when they saw what seemed to them like a ghost coming toward them on the water. That seems like a very natural fear. I think I would be afraid too, out on a lake at night with the wind churning up large waves, and then seeing this thing approaching. But Jesus calms them quickly. And Peter suddenly has this bold bit of courage and challenge. “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.

Notice Jesus accepts the challenge.  “Come”, he says. And Peter begins to step out and walk, But Peter is too caught up in what he thinks is the reality of the situation. He realizes that he is out of the boat, over the deep lake, and this is something not normal at all. He lets his fear take over, lets the distraction of his surroundings overcome his faith and he takes his eyes off Jesus, and he begins to sink.

That describes a lot of us. We allow the distractions of the world around us take our minds off God’s will for us, and then sooner or later, we begin to sink and fear sets in.  But further on in the passage we read that Peter cries out “Save me”.  Jesus does, despite the weakness of his faith.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but it is living by faith and doing what is right in the face of distractions and what we think is reality. It is living in the reality of God’s promise that he will support us, even when we step out onto the deep. Our fears compel us to live irresponsible lives or prevent us from doing that which is responsible and from being bold in sharing our faith. We get caught up in the “What if’s” when we are faced with a challenge by God, and that leads to irrational fears.  Every irrational fear is based on a falsehood. We must pray for God to reveal what lies beneath the surface of our worries, our controlling fears and pray for victory over them.

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."

What we fear most is uncertainty, and in these times there’s plenty of uncertainty to go around. God wants us to fear the right things, but he does not want us to fear everything. He especially does not want us to fear trusting him, and that’s what can make all the difference for us. God wants us to know he is with us and for us.