So as some of you know, we had to switch Summit to Zoom last night because The Favorite's roommate caught the 'Rona (so she had to quarantine) and I caught a cold (yes, common diseases still exist during a pandemic). Not wanting to take any chances, and especially since people look at you funny every time you even cough or sniff, we decided it was best not to meet in person. So we didn't! Funny how that works.
On Zoom, we learned that some of yall really struggle with drawing. Then again, can I blame you for not being good at it with a mouse? These things are so hard to draw with... Anyway, for those that know, there was a blue circle. =) Good times.
Moving on to our topic for today, I'd like you to think about what it means to be afraid. What even is fear, anyway? Before we get to that, let me share with you a few times when I have had fear grip me:
When I was about 3 years old (shortly after I started actually remembering things), I had a nightmare about dinosaurs. Now, these weren't just any dinos, they were life-size version of the plastic ones I liked to play with. I was trapped outside my house at night, and they were everywhere - the streets, on the house, in the fields, everywhere. I pounded on the door, but no one answered. I tried to run away, but ran into more of them. Then, just before I woke up in a sweat, I heard the distant roar of a T-Rex. Dinosaurs can be scary even now, but for a toddler? They were absolutely terrifying!
Growing up, my older brother was known as the pest in the family. However, I also liked to mess with my siblings from time to time, and especially my brother. The problem was, he was bigger than me. And stronger. And just a little bit meaner. So when I would annoy him for too long or do too much, he would jump up and chase me down and try to hit me. And let me tell you, as soon as he jumped up I was GONE. I was running for my life! Because I knew that if he managed to catch me there was going to be pain. You may ask, "Well, why did you mess with him then?" And the answer is, well, because I wasn't thinking about how he would react, only about the fact that I wanted to mess with him.
When I was much older, after my first year of college, I was driving back home with my dad. It was super late at night and I was a very inexperienced driver. What I did know was that my parents almost always drove in the left lane of the highway. Left lane = fast lane. That's what I knew. So that's what I did. I wanted to go fast, and even though there were no other cars on the road I was in cruising in that left lane. Queue me reaching for my Coffee Coolatta from Dunkin, queue me looking down for a second to find the holder to put it back, and queue the van swerving off the road sideways, sliding across the grassy median between the Northbound and Southbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway, skidding backwards across the opposing lane, smashing the driver side window on a reflector sign, demolishing the driver side wheel on a concrete ditch, and coming to stop in the trees on the far side of the highway from where I started. Through all of that I was frozen. I couldn't move, I couldn't think, I couldn't even touch the brakes - all I could do was grip the wheel and hope this wasn't the end. Everything was a blur of grass, glass, and road.
Fast forward a little more to another year in college. My friend Leroy Jenkins and I would sometimes take midnight walks through the campus' extensive woods. On one of these walks, we heard a splashing noise through the trees. Didn't think too much of it and kept walking. But, then, we heard it again. And this time, it was closer than before. We kept walking, trying to move away from the lake where the splashing was coming from, but whatever it was kept following us. Now, you need to be aware that this is during the peak of my irrational fear of zombies, and in my mind this splashing wasn't just anything, it was a zombie coming up out of the water and shambling after us. I was freaking out. I was pushing Leroy to walk faster so we could get away, and the THING KEPT FOLLOWING. When we finally reached the edge of the woods and came across a road, I chose to walk all the way around the woods on the well-lit road rather than trek back through the forest. To this day I have no idea what was following us, but I was certain at the time that our lives were at stake that night.
So what is common in all of these situations? Well, in each case the thing (or person) I was afraid of was something I thought could hurt me or something that would have power over me. I recognized that he or it was stronger than me and I could get hurt.
Think now about some healthy fears that we have: heights, spiders, fire, bees, the dark... We fear these things because we recognize they can hurt us. We could fall from heights and get seriously hurt. If a spider is venomous and bites us and we could get sick or die. Fire can be really destructive if it gets out of control, and could burn us (remember what happened in California not so long ago?). Especially for someone who is allergic, bee stings can be dangerous, and at the very least they hurt a lot. And who knows what could be lurking in the dark, or what we could stumble across.
See, these fears actually help to protect us - they cause us to respect things and people who are stronger than we are, or at the very least, are dangerous. Well, fear should cause us to respect these things, though we sometimes forget that they're dangerous anyway (like my big bro). When I go rock climbing, I recognize that falling from a great height could hurt or kill me, so I always use a belay system. When we had our bonfires at the church for Summit back in the Fall, I would always bring out a bucket of water to make sure the fire didn't get out of control, because I recognized that would be dangerous. Our fear of the dark causes us to bring flashlights (or some kind of light) instead of just stumbling around, because we know we could get hurt walking blindly.
Proverbs 1:7 is a fairly popular verse which says "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." So let me ask, what is the fear of the Lord?
"Fear" is the belief that something or someone is dangerous and it is the anticipation of danger. It means recognizing something or someone as dangerous and responding as though you are expecting danger. So then, the fear of the Lord is the belief that God is dangerous. But, why should we think that God is dangerous?
1. He spoke the earth (as well as the rest of the universe) into being. Read through Genesis 1. You'll notice that everything God made, He made by just uttering words. He said "Let there be light", and it was so. Light appeared because He said so. Now THAT is power.
2. Since God created everything, He can also destroy everything. Matthew 10:28 has a warning from Jesus to His disciples: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Jesus is pointing out that anything we face in this world can only hurt us so much. At best (or worst?), they can end our lives. But this world has no power over our souls, our spirits. Only God has power over that. And Jesus is warning His disciples to make sure they recognize that God is way more dangerous and powerful than anything else they could possibly be afraid of.
So God really is dangerous. He could hurt us, far more than anything else. But remember what the verse in Proverbs said. It didn't say "The fear of the Lord is debilitating," or "God is super scary so be afraid, be very afraid". No, it said "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." Unlike my fear on the road, this fear leads to something more. When we have a true fear of God, it puts everything else into perspective, so that we can better understand the world in which we live - the world God created. In order to truly understand our world, ourselves, and God, we first have to recognize how great and powerful and mighty our God is. We have to start there. We have to recognize that God is not some far away, mystical force, but an active and powerful God who stands in judgment over the whole world.
When we do this, when we see God's power and fear Him (because He is dangerous), it puts everything else into perspective for us. Our everyday fears don't seem as big or scary - not compared to God. It also causes us to respect Him way more, because it forces us to see that He is not some vending machine in the sky (we put our prayers in and He gives us what we want), but a holy and powerful God, one who created all things simply by speaking. This then gives us more respect for the Bible, which we often call the "Word of God". It isn't just some book, but a collection of God's power written out on paper for us to read and be transformed by. When you approach the Bible this way, it can really impact you in a new and profound way.
So, here is what I want you to do. As you go through this next week (and hopefully the rest of your lives), I want you to start thinking about what or who you fear. Make a list. Is God on that list? If He is, good, you're on the right path. If He is not - if you are not afraid of God - then that means you do not have an accurate picture of who God is or what He can do. My mom used to say "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out." Well, God created all things, and He can take it all out - with a word. That's scary.
Now, not wanting to leave you curled up on the floor in the fetal position in fear, let me add that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, not the end. Fear of God means we have recognized His power and now show Him the respect He deserves. It gets us started. But the Bible also reveals that this same God and loves and cares about us. We fear Him, because He is powerful. Yet we can also have a relationship with Him, because He is loving. In closing, let me share this quote:
"Unfortunately, many of us presume that the world is the ultimate threat and that God's function is to offset it. How different this is from the biblical position that God is far scarier than the world... When we assume that the world is the ultimate threat, we give it unwarranted power, for in truth, the world's threats are temporary. When we expect God to balance the stress of the world, we reduce him to the world's equal... As I walk with the Lord, I discover that God poses an ominous threat to my ego, but not to me. He rescues me from my delusions, so he may reveal the truth that sets me free. He casts me down, only to lift me up again. He sits in judgment of my sin, but forgives me nonetheless. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the Lord is its completion."
May the love of the Lord wash over you today and tomorrow and all future days as you walk with Him, in full recognition of His almighty power and in complete acceptance of His forgiveness and grace.
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