Defeating Fear

I have recently been reading the Old Testament chronologically.  I noticed that Israel had times of fear (which became complaints) and they cried out in fear (which became anger) because they thought they are going to die.  When things didn’t go their way, they rose up and challenged God and their leaders. They repeatedly stated that they should have died in Egypt, instead of God killing them in the wilderness.  It would have been easier to die in Egypt than to have God bring them all this way to die. But, God was not done with them yet. They just didn’t see it.

Each time they believed that they would die; they showed their doubt in the LORD-- it showed their lack of faith.  God ends up showing them over and over that He is FAITHFUL and MIGHTY.  He shows His JUSTICE, POWER, and LOVE.  Yet, that was not enough for the Israelites.

The Israelites were afraid of death.  However, as the Pentateuch unfolds, it seems like the Israelites wanted to die; they were giving into their fear.  They were okay with having their fear become their reality.  Not only did their fear hinder them from obeying the Lord, but it enslaved them.  They turned their fear (once a viable fear) into a complaint and yelled out when they wanted a “change of menu.” Num 21:5 says “they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

When we focus on our fears, we tend to perceive them as coming to fruition; even if they don’t actually come true.  God was providing through miracles for his remnant, and yet, they were afraid of death.  Then, after years of seeing the Lord provide, they turned their fear into complaining.  God took care of their fears and still they weren’t grateful.

We all have our doubts and fears in life.  Each of us, even when following God, can have a recurring fear; many of us may struggle with a specific fear until we die.  

Some fears are more “rational” than others; nonetheless they can hinder us from truly following and trusting the LORD.  If dealt with properly, these fears can turn into a showing of God’s POWER and LOVE in our lives.  

Because we are human, we all have fears. I hope we can trust Him enough to surrender those fears on a DAILY basis; letting God use them for His glory.  We must continue to preach the Gospel to each other as a reminder of what God has done for us and what we live for.  If we leave our fears at the cross of Jesus every day, instead of dwelling on them, we could experience the JOY of our Christian calling more vividly.