The
current worldwide crisis occasioned by the eruption of COVID-19 has been
fertile ground for peddling fear. In every quarter of the globe people are
afraid for their lives and for that of their loved-ones, with good reason.
Fear, believe it or not, is of the devil. Satan has always thrived on the fear
of his victims to execute his evil deeds.
Fear has led to panic buying, shutting down of institutions and the
order for people to stay at home. Everything has in the past week virtually
grounded to a halt – all because of an unseen virus that is said to be deadly.
Of
course, the Media also has jumped on its ‘hobby horse’ to feed the gossip mill
and has succeeded in compounding the situation much more than bringing relief
to anxious souls. The figures of those who have caught the virus and have
recovered from it are much more than those who have succumbed under it.
We
understand that good news is no longer palatable; only bad news or sensational
news attracts the eye nowadays. If only the Press had majored on the success
stories in the combat of the disease, there would not have been such scare. One
positive test case of corona virus is enough to stir up a whole nation.
This
is what God’s word has to say about fear. “For God did not give us a spirit of
timidity [fear], but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline [sound
mind].” (2 Timothy 1:7) When we are afraid, our body chemistry reacts by being
on the alert, ready to act on impulse. Hardly do we stop to think before we
question or even challenge issues. The first thought that comes to us is our
survival and personal safety. We put our safety above everything else.
Peter
and his fellow disciples were in a boat early morning crossing the Red Sea
amidst life-threatening turbulence, when suddenly they saw someone who looked
like a ghost walking on water heading towards them. They were frightened! And
with the self-preservation mood in gear, Peter asked the Lord Jesus if it was
indeed Him and whether he [Peter] could come over to join Him. What He meant really
was whether he could abandon his mates to be safe with Jesus – in the face of
imminent danger.
Our
Lord Jesus bid him to come. He walked on water for a while then he began to
sink. He was able to walk on water because he had fixed his eyes on Jesus. But
the storm continued to rage and for a few seconds he took his eyes off Jesus –
paying attention to the violent winds and he began to go under. He shouted to
Jesus. “‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:30) Jesus hauled him out of the Sea and
both of them entered the boat. Immediately the storm ceased.
Jesus
is our Anchor. David says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall
I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
(Psalm 27:1) We have to build our trust in the Lord and on His word. He Himself
said that: “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”
(John 6:63)
By
leaning on His words we can be assured of our protection and safety. For with
this mindset ‘nothing shall by any means harm us.’ Besides, our Lord Jesus has
underlined; “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b)
Under no circumstance!
Job
was a devout man, ‘blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” (Job
1:1) His sons and daughters were having parties, rather frequently. This
practice disturbed his spirit and instead of giving them a ‘dressing-down,’ he
continually offered sacrifices on their behalf, thinking; “Perhaps my children
have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” (Job 1:5c) This became a routine.
Job
harboured fear that one day God would punish his children for their unbecoming
lifestyle. Eventually, disaster struck. A report was brought to him by a
messenger of a calamity that would claim the lives of all his children at one
go. “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest
brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and
struck the four corners of the house. It
collapsed on them and they are dead and I am the only one who has escaped to
tell you.” (Job 1:18-19)
Job
later confessed that, “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has
happened to me.” (Job 3:25)
The
Bible abounds with ‘Fear nots,’ -- the reason being that God knows He has to
allay our fears in order to assure us of His power to save us under any
circumstance. Jesus can save us from imagined and real threats to our lives
engendered by fear. When we succeed in conquering our fears then we know whose
we are. The Bible teaches; “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) We
must lay aside our false security that we can do things for ourselves. When we
go around with that fearful attitude, we expose our frailties and
vulnerability.
It
is essential in our Christian life to build our trust in God’s unfailing love.
The Widow of Zarephath was down to her last meal at the height of the famine
declared by Prophet Elijah. As she was gathering a few sticks with which to
cook the meal, her faith was challenged when God’s prophet, Elijah, called on
her and requested her to shelve her plan and prepare him a meal instead with
the ‘handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug.’ She obeyed and all
through the famine (she and her son, along with the prophet) had food to eat.
In
today’s world, we believe only what we see. In everyday parlance, we often hear
it said that, ‘Seeing is believing.’ Not so with God! The Bible states
categorically that you have to believe before you can see. Our Lord Jesus said
to Jairus whose daughter was on her death bed. “Don’t be afraid; just believe,
and she will be healed.” (Luke 8:50)
Indeed,
there are multiple reasons for us to be afraid, but we are not supposed to be
frightened by what we see because they have a shelf-life. Let us therefore
brace ourselves up with the knowledge that Jesus has conquered sin and death,
the terrible duo that is the root cause of our fears.
To
Martha - one of the sisters of Lazarus who had been buried four days before
Jesus arrived on the scene to raise him up - He said, after resurrecting
Lazarus; “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of
God?” (John 11:40)
Only
believe, and see God’s glory manifested in your life.
