FEAR I John 4:18
by Al Sanders
H a v e y o u e v e r been afraid? Then perhaps you can feel the alarm and panic of the little girl who was awak ened one night in the middle of a terrifying thunderstorm. She was so frightened that she desperately called out for her mother. When she got to her bedside, the little lass was in tears. The Christian parent tried to console her child with the gentle reminder, “You don’t need to be afraid, darling. Jesus is right here beside you. He will take care of you.” Still the scared youngster cried. Her mother again suggested quietly, “But sweetheart, you know Jesus is here; you needn't be afraid.” The child nodded in agree ment but sobbed, “I know, Mommie, but I want someone with skin on him.” How often have we expressed her sen timents when problems and difficulties come to us. How do we relate the Lord to the everyday trials and forebodings of life? Do we look to “someone with skin on him,” or seek Christ’s help and strength for our answer? Dr. Charles Mayo, the emminent physician declared, “It’s my opinion that fear, in its broadest sense, is at the bottom of every iota of ill health and unhappiness directly traced to and caused by fear. When we realize that one out of every two hospital beds today is occupied by someone who is suffering f r o m mental difficulties, disease or disorder, we can see the immense gravity of the situation. Now, when you get right down to the examination of fear we see how foolish and baseless most of the ap prehensions we experience really are. As an example, consider the woman who, greatly agitated, went to her physician to unload, saying, “Oh, doc tor, I’m so worried about my son, who’s so worried about my being wor ried.” Fears and frustrations are about that pointless. Now, what are some of the more
common fears? No doubt that which is most basic is the concern of an in dividual for his own personal safety. In Leviticus there is an interesting word God gives concerning Israel. Be cause they had turned away from His will and way, they were to be punished. It was prophesied, “The fear of a shaking leaf shall chase them.” Many people fail to achieve victory, both personal, financial, and moral, as well as spiritual, because they are fright ened by something so insignificant as a rustling leaf. When I was a boy, our nearest playmates were some six or eight blocks away. We enjoyed going to their house because we would occa sionally get asked for dinner. This was always enjoyable, but the walk home after the porch light on my friend’s house was out, and without street lights, was foreboding and fearsome. The wind in the trees caused the leaves to stir and imagination assured me that someone was waiting to pounce out upon me. By the time I reached home, I was running and only breathed a deep sigh of relief when I had reached the safety of our front door. “The fear of a shaking leaf” certainly chased me. A second fear is one of being alone. Someone has well said that there are certain individuals who, if they were left alone, might find themselves in poor company. The simple facts are that God is interested in us; in every aspect of our daily existence. I know some people who can be in crowds of people, and yet feel as though they are completely alone. They can’t feel that anyone is really concerned about them. A leading television comedian who enters millions of homes weekly, ad mits a fear of being left alone to such a degree that he keeps all of the lights in his Beverly Hills mansion burning night and day. Do you have a fear of being alone? The Word of our Sav- 16
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