Fear — The Mother of Many Evils, Part 3

May, 2009

by: Jack Hughes

The famous preacher and Evangelist D. L. Moody was on a voyage from Southampton, England, to America. He was resting in his cabin with his son when suddenly there was a loud crash and the entire ship jolted as if it had run aground. His son left to see what was the matter. He was told that the main propeller shaft had broken in the stormy sea and that the vessel was slowly sinking. There they were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with no hope of rescue. When Moody heard the news he was immediately gripped with fear. All night he suffered from an ever increasing dread that soon seven hundred men, women, and children would meet their doom. The ship continued to sink lower in the water. The sea continued to rage. Moody said, “The agony and suspense were too great for words.”

The fearful night passed, followed by a day of fearful exhaustion. On the second evening Moody asked the captain if he could hold a service. Almost every passenger on the ship, confronted with their imminent death, attended. His biographer, A. P. Fitt, relates Moody’s words:

With one hand clasping a pillar to steady myself on the reeling vessel, I tried to read the ninety-first Psalm, and we prayed that God would still the raging of the sea and bring us to our desired haven. It was a new psalm to me from that hour. The eleventh verse touched me very deeply. It was like the voice of divine assurance, and it seemed a very real thing as I read: “He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

After the service Moody was at peace, prayed, and fell asleep in his cabin. Later that night the steamer Lake Huron had seen their distress flares and came to their rescue!

The story related above is a good example of how fear can overcome us. It is also an example of how to overcome our fear. When unforseen trials strike, often our first reaction is to fear. Surely Moody feared drowning at sea, feared for his family back home, feared for his church, feared for his son, and feared for others on the boat. He feared that the failure of the ship’s propeller shaft and the raging sea was sovereign over his life and the lives of everyone else on the ship. They were going to drown and nothing could stop it. This kind of fear is common when we take our eyes off of the Lord and focus only on our circumstances. We become like Peter who in walking on the water, took his eyes off the Lord, looked at the waves, became fearful and sank. No doubt the sea is large and powerful. Being in a storm at sea quickly convinces you of your smallness and how strong the mighty waves can be. But is the sea and its waves more powerful than the God who created them? Surely not! Was not Jesus able to calm the raging sea with a word? Yes. When Paul’s ship was overcome by the raging sea and everyone went into the water, weren’t all brought to shore safely? Yes. The Bible teaches us that God can save us from the storm, bring us through the storm in our boat, or allow us to be cast into the sea and yet still deliver us.

It is in the midst of trials that the metal of our faith is tested upon the anvil to determine its true metal. We are brought to a crossroad and forced to choose which way we will go. Will we take the way of faith and trust in the precious and magnificent promises of God, or will we take the path of doubt and fear? Every waking moment of your life you must decide, “How am I going to live?”

We have learned in previous Calvary Reviews that there are both good and bad kinds of fear. Good and godly fear is the fear of the Lord, a fear which desires to see God glorified in all things. Bad or evil fear is an emotional response to not being able to keep or obtain what we want. Every Christian must cultivate good fear and strive against bad fear. We never conquer fear perfectly in this life but there are steps we can take to help overcome the fears that paralyze us and cause us to sin against God.

God’s Remedy for Overcoming Bad Fear

Pray before, during, and after trials. Prayer is talking to God. It is an act of trust in God. We pray because we believe God is sovereign and in order to be sovereign we believe He is all powerful, all knowing, and all wise. Prayer is one of the ways we demonstrate that we fear the Lord. David speaks of having courage in fearful situations in Psa. 27:7 and prays, “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, and be gracious to me and answer me.” In Psa. 34:4-6 David recalls, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.” Paul tells us to not be anxious “but in everything by prayer and supplication to let our requests be made known to God.” The positive outcome of this is then stated, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).

We should begin the day in prayer, focusing our hearts and minds on the Lord. Throughout the day we should continue to pray and when trials come, we should respond in prayer. A life of prayer will help us live in peace instead of fear. Before we go to sleep, we can cast all of our burdens on the Lord, knowing that He cares for us, and sleep in peace as Moody did on a sinking ship, in a storm, with his life in danger.

Stay in the Word. Every Christian knows that Bible reading, study, memorization, meditation, preaching and teaching are important to their spiritual health and walk with the Lord. The reason is that the truth of God’s Word is the primary means by which He imparts grace to us. If we neglect our intake of the Word of God, we cut off the greatest means for maintaining a peaceful heart that God has given us. We must strive to “let the Word of Christ richly dwell within us,” (Col. 3:16). We achieve this goal when we make many small, but necessary decisions which, when added together, cause our souls to be filled up to overflowing with the truth that will deliver us from fear. Do you faithfully attend church? Are you involved in a weekly Bible study or discipleship group? Are you consistent in your personal devotions? Do you listen to sermons, the Bible, or psalms, hymns and spiritual songs that teach and admonish you in the truth? Do you spend time reading good books that are loaded with Bible content? The Christian who isn’t dominated by fear has learned to make many small, but important decisions which, when combined, cause their hearts to be overflowing with the promises of God.

Remind yourself of the truth. This step comes after the one above. First, you must get the truth in your head and heart. Secondly, you must choose to remind yourself of the truth. David declares in Psalm 27:1-3, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” That is the truth he recalled to mind and then says, “Whom shall I fear?” He goes on to remember something else that is true, “The Lord is the defense of my life.” Having remembered what is true about God, he then says, “Whom shall I dread?” First, David hid the Word of God in his heart, then he recalls it to mind, and then he is protected from fear by that truth after he recalls it. He goes on to say, “When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident.”

A mechanic has a broken down car in his garage. It is his job to get it running again. He reaches into his large tool chest, but there are no tools. Even though he knows how to fix the car he is unable to do so without tools. This is why we need to stay in the Word. We need to have the tool chest of our hearts filled with the Word of God so that we have something to fix us when we are tempted to fear. If we fail to stay in the word, even if we remember to recall the truth to mind, it won’t work if there is no truth to recall. Therefore, it is necessary not only to hide God’s Word in our heart, but also to recall it to mind.

Remind yourself that God is sovereign and in control. This is so important. One of the greatest fear-quenching truths in all the Bible is that God is sovereign. Knowing all, being all powerful and wise, God’s rule is comprehensive. Knowing all things, He knows everything that is going to happen to you before it happens. Being all powerful, He is able to stop anything from happening to you that He doesn’t want to have happen to you. Being all wise, He knows just what you need to grow in Him and what will cause you to bring Him the most glory. Psa. 115:3 says, “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” Nebuchadnezzar, after being chastened by the Lord, declares in Dan. 4:35, “He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

Knowing the sovereignty of God allowed the sons of Korah to say in Psa. 46:1-3, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.” Most scholars think the word, “Selah” means pause and meditate. The Psalmist considers the greatest catastrophes he can imagine and yet is reminded in his meditations that God is a refuge, a strength, a very present help in a time of trouble. He doesn’t need to worry even if the mountains slip into the sea, because God is on the throne. The Psalmist states this in Psa. 29:10 when he writes, “The Lord sat as King at the flood; yes, the Lord sits as King forever.” Even when the greatest catastrophe of history came upon the world, God was King over it all. He not only was King, but He sent the flood, controlled the flood, and in His good time, put an end to the flood. If you are struggling with fear, study up on the sovereignty of God, meditate on what the Scriptures teach, and recall those truths to mind. It will help you be at peace.

Remind yourself that all the trials in your life come to you from the hand of God. Sometimes we think and act like we are victims of chance, like things happen to us that God was unaware of or didn’t see coming. He looks down from heaven and says, “Oh, No! I hadn’t anticipated that!” This never happens. God is never taken by surprise and anything that happens to us is part of His good plan. Jeremiah reminds us of this in Lam. 3:37-38 when he says, “Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?” When Job had lost all his children, wealth, and health, he declared to his foolish wife, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10). Job rightly understood that his trials were from the Lord. He didn’t know their purpose, but He knew that God was sovereign and that God sent both good and adversity to His children. Think of all the blessing that Job received and others have received from allowing Job to be afflicted! May God deliver you from fear and put your heart at perfect peace as you seek to trust in Him.