Can We Rebound from This?

10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4)
The people were weary and worried. They had worked hard, done all they could, and still felt like things were stacked against them. They felt defeated and all they could hear was criticism and negative talk.  They wondered if all hope was gone.  Nehemiah's message was short and simple: "Remember the Lord". He is a mighty God. And remember others whom you have a responsibility to and for. In times like this we can become so self-focused we cannot even see how much the people around us - our family, church family, and community need us. We can make a difference - in our attitudes, actions, and dependence on the Lord.  Remember Him. 

The Fruit of Fear

19 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. 22 For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.” (I Samuel 12)
The people of Israel had a reason to be afraid: a history of sin and rebellion. Yet, even after another act of rebellion, Samuel says: "do not live in fear." Fear is a God-given ability to react properly to a situation, but like adrenaline, it is not good or healthy for us to stay there. Fear should move us, it should bear frut. First, to repentance, as the people do here. Second, to renewed faith in the character and plan of God: that He is good and He wants good for us. Thirdly, a move to unselfish living, a change from focusing on what we want to what others need. Samuel demonstrates that here by his heartfelt prayers for his people. He wants them to know the joy of fearless living before a holy and loving God. 

Acting, Despite Our Fears

25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night. (Judges 6)
The time of the judges is an interesting study.  Individualism ruled - everyone "did what was right in his own eyes," much like the mentality in our society. But there were certain idols which were institutionalized in society, and people were afraid to stand up against them.  The call of Gideon includes great hesitancy on his part: he was going against the flow. He kept asking God: "are you sure You mean me?"  His hesitancy is seen in his doing his first act of courage in the darkness of night, because he was afraid of popular opinion.  But he acted! He did not let fear get in the way of his obedience.  May we face our fears -however real they may be - with this same commitment: though none may join me, I still will follow, and obey, Jesus.  I will not turn back.  

Wherever You Go... or Stay...

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1)
This is one of the most memorized verses of the Old Testament. It is a "classic" verse to remind us of God's faithful watchcare over His people. There is nowhere we can go that He is not there, watching, leading, guiding, protecting, calming and comforting His people. But let's consider this: these people were used to staying - staying put, or at best, wandering around somewhat aimlessly while they waited to land in the promised land.  Think about those cruise ships with no one who will let them dock.  Going, at times, can seem less stressful and frustrating and fearful, than staying right we are - waiting.  Guess what? God is still here, wherever we do not go. He can handle any fear or uncertainty of the future, even as we feel like sitting ducks. God is with His people, by His Spirit. Be not afraid. 

Afraid for Others...

13 “Furthermore, the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stubborn people. 14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’ 15 So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. 18 Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also. 20 And the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. 21 Then I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain. (Deuteronomy 9)
Moses had experienced "the fear of the LORD" enough to know what it meant - not only for himself, but also for his people.  As we saw the other day: we worship what we fear.  The people had chosen an idol, after all that God had done for them.  So what did Moses do with his fears? He cried out to God and prayed for them, fervently and persistently. He also acted to remove the idol the people had chosen, removing every trace he could.  Fear of any sort should drive us to our knees - not only for ourselves, but our families, our nation, and everyone God brings in our path, our path of vision, and the path of our hearts. 

Fear and Idolatry.

 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. 4 The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, 5 while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said: 6 “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 7 “‘You shall have no other gods before me. (Deuteronomy 5)

We worship Who we fear.  When we worship, we focus our attention on someone or something. We think, speak and act as if that person or thing holds sway over our lives, and even has the power of life.  As God here reminds His people at the restating of the Law, they had misplaced their fear. They feared the fire instead of Him.  Then what had they done? Built the golden calf. They chose to worship something else. Often in the Old Testament the people feared some other nation and ended up in idolatry. When we fear something other than God more than Him, we also remove ourselves from Him. In His presence we find not only a healthy fear; we find a loving Father and Creator Who cares, Who watches out for us, Who guides us to abundant life.  What fear overshadows our fear of God, and removes us from the Comfort that fear brings?  

Not Fearing the "Giants"

26 “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27 And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ 29 Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, 33 who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go. (Deuteronomy 1)
Israel had had quite a history, going through the plagues on Egypt, being hassled by heathens as they went on their journey, refusing to enter the promised land, and therefore ending up hopeless, "wandering" in the wilderness for forty years. During this time they truly were helpless, depending on God to lead them, supply for them and protect them.  He had been ever faithful. Now what were they going to do? Have we learned anything yet?  About our tendency to rebel, our grumbling ingratitude, our fears of everything but God? Have we taken this time to get to know Him better? Are we learning to "follow the cloud" and trust in Him, not ourselves and our own wisdom and emotions?

Social Distancing...

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. (Exodus 34)
People were afraid to go near Moses.  Understandably so. He had been with Holy God on the mountain.  We are afraid we might catch something. Sometimes that affects us well: we keep our distance so we do not catch a virus or become a carrier.  But there are times when someone being different, "having something", should actually cause us to draw nearer. Moses had the Word of God and a word from God that they needed to hear.  So the passage goes on to tell us that Moses invited the leaders to come closer and hear what the LORD had to say.  He did eventually put on "protective clothing" to make them feel more at ease, but what he had "caught" was actually something we should hope to catch as well.  We should also beware an extremism when it comes to those we are afraid to be near; let us not become so distanced that we fail to show the love of Christ in an hour of need. God loves us and will let us know how close we should go. 

Crazy Fear

18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. (Exodus 20)
Moses was a little crazy... So it seemed to the people of Israel. God has just given them the 10 commandments.  They observed the side affects of God's presence and were scared - to scared to have God talk to them.  It reminds me in a sense of Adam's reaction to God in the garden.  Here is God's law. We know we cannot fully obey it.  By this time, Moses has had quite a few discussions with God. He still reverences His holiness, power, and authority, but also knows that all things God gives us for instruction, He gives us for our good.  God does not want us to run away from His holiness, but to seek it, pursue it, even trust it.  Fear does strange things to people. We can go crazy in a bad way, or we can go crazy after God.  

It Began with Fear...

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3)
In a sense, this is the beginning of the story of the Exodus. Everything in chapters 1 and 2 set the backstory for us - who Moses was, what was going on with the people of Israel, etc.  But here it begins with God moving someone to do something, and his first reaction is fear.  It really is a common occurance, especially when begun with the fear of God.  He is the One Who knows, Who sees all that has happened and will happen. He knows what I did and what is going to happen to me, and that can be scary - or, it can move us to faithful action.  He knows what I did (like Moses killing a man and running away), and yet He is still talking to me.  He knows what is going to happen (Moses will often complain and sometimes mess up as a leader), yet He invites me to be a part of His plan.  Great things often begin with fear, as long as we do not get stuck there.  May we move foward today with the plans He has for us. 

The Fear of the Aged...

So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.” (Genesis 46)
Jacob was old.  He had seen a lot in his lifetime, and he was challenged with the changes taking place.  God had miraculously worked out for his family to be spared from the famine through what He had done through Joseph. Now he was invited to go live with him in Egypt. That was a lot of change. Could he do it? God's answer was "yes." Jacob could be sure that God would keep His promises in the future, even though it seemed like he himself was being side-tracked.  For those of us being challenged by the current crisis, probably none are more prone to fear and a sense of helplessness than the aged: "Will I have all I need? Will I see my family again? What will happen to them?" God is still faithful. He will give the grace to go through any change He brings our way. Rest assured. 

Blessings Behind the Fear...

8 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.” 19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food. 21 And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, 22 and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. (Genesis 43)
Sometimes pleasant surprises can bring fear. The brothers of Joseph found themselves possessing "stolen" money.  They were afraid of what may happen. A short time later they would be afraid all over again when Joseph would reveal himself to them as the brother they had sold into slavery.  Real, reasonabe fears.  Yet what Joseph shows and tells them is that behind these fears were also blessings and causes for rejoicing. What they viewed as "this is not a good thing", did have their "silver lining".  God was blessing them.  At times like this, we might be able to see little good in being homebound, restricted, even found in want. But God does have blessings in store if we do the right thing, trust Him, and wait upon Him.  May God calm our fears and help us see the blessings He has provided for us, even in the hardest situations.

"Reasonable" Fear Released

6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, 8 thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.”9 And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 11 Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. 12 But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’” (Genesis 32)

Jacob was greatly afraid.  This really had become a pattern in his life- fear of people who had seen him prosper. In one sense he had reason to fear: he had ripped his brother Esau off bigtime. We all know what bitterness can do in a person's life over time.  He also knew he was blessed, which can cause jealousy to surface (think of rioters stealing things in hard times like this). But he also knew that God had promised to "do him good" and bless him beyond measure. The combination of the two drove him to his knees to talk with God, to cry out and wrestle with God in prayer.  This was a lifechanging experience for Jacob.  Facing our fears - of the unknown and the known - through greater reliance on God will develop our character, deepen our faith, and pull us through.  May these uncertain times drive us to our knees as well. 

The Father of "Fear Not"

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.  (Genesis 15)
This is the first appearance of that oft-repeated injuction to "stop being afraid." The LORD had Abram pegged; he was scared.  Understandably so.  God had led him out of his homeland to some scary situations. Most recently, in the chapter preceeding this one, he had seen Sodom and Gomorrah leveled, and then he had this prophet/priest/king of a man, Melchizedek, come and bless him, and offer him whatever he wanted. But what Abram really wanted was a family. He had a plan - not a good one - which God refutes here. He begins by saying "I know that you are scared. I am your shield. Your reward is coming." Abram is still having trouble believing he will ever have a son, but God shows and tells him he will. And he, the "father of faith", as he is often called, believes God.  God knows our fears. He says "you can stop now." Even though we cannot see the future, He can.  Even though we have doubts and uncertainties; He is the same.  He will see us through.  May we have His words in our minds: Fear not. 

Our Greatest Fear...

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (Genesis 3)
Fear goes way back... almost to the beginning of time.  Adam experienced fear in the Garden.  He said he was afraid. Was it of God? Maybe. That's a healthy fear.  But this fear made him hide.  Only he could not hide from... himself... and his sin. It was still there
As many of us find ourselves with a lot more time to stop and think, holed up in our homes, fears can flood our hearts, minds and houses.  The most valuable fears we can face are those about ourselves.  We don't have the distractions of sports and entertainment, partying and shopping.  It's a great time to not hide from God, and allow Him to do some serious questioning of us.  For many, the only idol remaining in our day is ourselves, and our pride.  There's no place to go.  Deal with it now.  When we do, then the other fears will fall by the wayside.