In December our thoughts tend to get reminded of the Christmas season. And while it is such a happy story, there are some very fearful parts to the story. One fear belonged to Mary. Mary experienced a range of emotions, including fear, when the angel Gabriel told her she would conceive the Son of God. Mary was a young virgin who had never been with a man, and the idea of becoming pregnant was overwhelming. She may have also feared judgment, rejection, and the sacrifice of her son. Mary was uncertain what Gabriel meant. Mary chose to listen to the angel's voice and accept her vocation, trusting in God's love. Mary's experience can be a reminder that it's natural to feel fear when God speaks to us about something that's beyond our understanding. Some say that Mary's example can help people overcome fear by looking to her for strength. ln Luke 1:26-38 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. I cannot imagine being placed in the position that Mary was. I am sure that I probably would have been even more fearful than she was.
Joseph was also fearful—he did not want his place in the nativity story—at first. He was fearful of marrying an unmarried pregnant virgin. Would the town say? The shepherds were also afraid because “the glory of the Lord shone around them''. They were ultimately afraid because they were sinners in the presence of a Holy God. The glory of God is terrifying to sinners—and we are all sinners. The shepherds were taking care of their flocks at night. An angel appeared to them and told them not to be afraid as he brought good news, “This very day in David's town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord!”
There was another afraid man! King Herod was so afraid of losing his position and place in history that he ordered all the baby boys to be murdered! Herod Antipas was filled with the cowardly fear of men and women. He was afraid of public opinion. He was gripped by fear of the loss of political prestige and power. He was afraid of losing face. And in the end—he did lose face!
Can you imagine the fear of those who didn't make it into the ark when the water started rising? Peter was afraid of drowning when he took his eyes off Jesus. He was also afraid when he heard the rooster crow three times. And then there are people who will be so afraid of seeing Jesus coming a second time that they would rather have rocks and mountains fall on top of themselves!
There are over 500 named phobias—Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth) has been labeled the rarest phobia . One of my fears is tomophobia. When I first was scheduled for cancer surgery, I was nearly scared to death that I might die and the surgeon told me that I needed to calm down. Easy for him to say, very hard for me to do. I have had another fear/phobia and that was aerophobia--the fear of flying. I always said that my feet needed to stay on the ground. I was given a plane trip as a gift and my fear was overcome! Another of my fears doesn't seem to have a name. It is the fear of car breakdowns. It has happened and is one of my dreads! I have a pretty strong fear of tornadoes. I worry with fear when someone I love is late coming home. One of my boys has a dread/fear of spiders.
Bible addresses fear in multiple ways, including:
Healthy fear: The Bible says that a healthy fear is based on respect for God's power and goodness. Psalm 111 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Unhealthy fear: The Bible says to avoid unhealthy fear, which is based on doubt of God's power and goodness and it says that God delivers people from unhealthy fear.
Fear as a consequence of sin: The Bible says that fear is a natural result of sin.
Fear of man: The Bible says that the fear of man is a danger to be avoided.
Fear of God as deliverance: The Bible says that the fear of God delivers people from the dangers of the fear of man and evils.
Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand".
Revelation 1:17: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last...'".
Matthew 6:25: “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”.
Proverbs 31:30 (NIV): Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
The obstacle of a very tall fence blocking deer is the same one that frequently stops me as well—fear. I don’t often find myself facing a fence I need to hurdle. I see the path ahead, but I just don’t think I can do it. The obstacles seem too big. My abilities seem pitifully small. Again and again, I fumble at the fence. I come right up to the edge of my comfort zone but can’t bring myself to make the leap.
The biblical leader Joshua must have understood this feeling. When the book of Joshua begins, he’d just assumed authority for several million former slaves—the Israelites—all headed for an enemy-filled land. The people were uneasy, and the challenges looked immense. Moses, the trusted former leader, was dead. I'm sure Joshua must have been afraid to leap into the unknown. But God’s plan wasn’t for Joshua to ignore his fear or pretend it didn’t exist. Instead, it was for Joshua to move past the fear and take hold of faith. “Be strong and courageous,” God urged and repeated three times in the first nine verses of Joshua! And then gives a road map for choosing courage: meditating on the Word of God, (Joshua 1:8) taking action steps into the future (Joshua 1:2) and remembering the faithfulness of God in the past. (Joshua 1:5)
But the best weapon against fear is found in the second half verse 9: “Do not be frightened … for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go”. I don’t know what fences we will face every day. God’s presence is the fixer to our every struggle. In this world, fear often speaks in our minds. But it doesn’t have to be the loudest voice. We need to find the strength to take the leap of faith—over the fences of fear and into the land of faith.
Dear Lord, You know what “fence” I’m facing in my own life right now. Please help me to be strong and courageous. Grant me the boldness of Your Spirit to trust in Your unfailing love and to take the next step in faith that moves me forward. In Jesus’ Name.
We all have fears that invade our thoughts. Some people may be afraid of rollercoasters, sharks, clowns, spiders or the dark. And there are also fears that seem to follow us around daily. Whether they be fears of the future, financial trouble, health concerns, failure or pain, we can find it difficult to practice letting go of these fears. However, with Christ, we do not have to let feelings of fear control our lives. When we realize the value of letting go of our fears and giving them to Christ, we can find genuine peace. The fence of fear is taken away.
A Stile is way over a fence, such as a two-sided ladder! Seeing a stile at a tall forbidding fence can take away our fear of that formidable fence just like seeing Christ can take away the fear of our life fences. Jacob’s ladder was Jesus, who helped him get over his fence! Jacob’s fence was his brother Esau who was his enemy. The ladder brought peace to Jacob in the midst of trouble.
I have fences to get over—I need my Ladder!
Fear yields to peace!