“You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matt 8:26)
A searchable, downloadable PDF of the original article appears below. Edward P. Mason is a member of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Toronto.
FEAR! That is a word which conjures up events or incidents in life which are gladly and hopefully forgotten during one’s life-time. Of course, some fearful long-past event is remembered, still causing feelings of fear and anxiety. The word “fear” itself denotes “sudden calamity” or “danger.” It involves the emotions of pain or uneasiness caused by a sense of impending danger. One becomes very apprehensive about something, or almost helpless in facing it. You and I have met the beast – “Fear of failure. Fear of heights. Fear of disease. Fear of rejection… Fear of the dark. Fear of being alone. Lurking in the shadows around every imaginable corner, it threatens to poison our inner peace and outward poise,” as Charles R. Swindoll so aptly describes in his book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life. Of course, there are fears which affect society as a whole. You know them well – fear of ecological destruction, of nuclear power destruction, fear as to the future of the human race, and so on. Fear is the extremity of human concern.
But fear within oneself is not of the Lord. Rather, it is part of the human condition. It is necessary for self-preservation as witnessed when one refrains from putting one’s hand into boiling water for fear of being scalded. But, it also can be endangering, with serious consequences to the individual. We know from Deuteronomy 1:19-29, in the Old Testament, of the crisis which arose when Israelites, led by Moses for 40 years, were about to enter Canaan and occupy it. Moses recalled to them the great events of those years, including that where they were about to enter the hill country of the Amorites. Fear of the apparently strong enemy with walled cities to be faced, daunted them. There, Moses reminded them of their God who had carried them safely through fearful experiences from the time of their Exodus from Egypt. At this point, he would do the same thing again.
In the New Testament, in Matthew 8:23-27, a storm arose as the disciples, with Jesus who was asleep, were crossing the lake in a boat. They woke him, crying out for him to save them. When he said, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” and then rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm, he wasn’t asking an unreasonable question. A storm on the open water is a fearful experience, and fear had seized control of them. But Jesus wanted his disciples to live in the assurance that they would always be protected by his almighty power. What their desperation points out to each of us is, as H.N. Ridderbos, in his commentary on Matthew, has put it, “that their thoughts about Him were too small… The disciples’ faith should have embraced much more and much greater things. Faith by its very nature has to do with God the almighty… Since Jesus was with His disciples in the boat, they should have understood that His almighty power would preserve them.” Sometimes we fail in that way, too.
Yet the Bible tells us to fear God. What does this mean? In Leviticus 25:17, God is pictured as feared in a very basic way because he was seen by the Israelites as a God of Judgement. “Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God.” But human understanding of, and experience of, God has changed as man has progressed. In the New Testament, that fear has been tempered because he came into the world in Christ his Son, who came not as a Judge, but as our Redeemer and Saviour. Fear was offset by believers’ deepening respect for God, and increasing love as well. And Jesus, the epitome of pure love, said to the Pharisee law expert, as recorded in Matthew 22:37, “Love your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (That is the first and greatest Commandment.) Thus, fear becomes respect, as we see God as a Father who loves and disciples his children.
But for those other fears which beset us from time to time, our true help comes from the Lord. At least 75 times, the phrase “fear not” is found in the Bible. In all cases, that command is given because we have a loving and caring God who will help us in time of need. One of the most beautiful pictures of that help is contained in the story of a dream called “Footprints.”
“One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonged to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it ‘Lord, You said that once I decided to follow You, You’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I need You the most You would leave me.’
The Lord replied, ‘My precious, precious child. I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then I carried you.’”
You see, the command “to fear not” is not an empty one. Again and again, it reminds us to trust in God for his help and strength in times of trouble. Through him we can and will overcome our fears. He wants us to be free from unnecessary fears and worries so that our lives will be meaningful and purposeful, lives which will give him pleasure, and the glory and honour due to him. He has such wonderful gifts for us his children, and I believe with all my heart and being, that no matter in what condition or situation one finds oneself, the Lord will be there, standing by one’s side, waiting to respond to any call for help. As Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy, (4:18) “The Lord will rescue me from all evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever.” But Jesus made the ultimate assurance to us in his loving command, “Fear not, for I am always with you.”