Who or what do you turn to when you are afraid? The answer of course depends upon what you are afraid of. Many of you know that I don’t like to vomit (really, who does?). In fact I have a 16 year vomit-free streak I am doing my best to keep alive. From time to time, I’ll get that gurgling sensation in the pit of my stomach and my fear of “letting loose” rises up and I began to worry. “Oh no, what if this is it?” That sensation usually comes at night when the mind is especially vulnerable. My mode of operation is to hop out of bed, take some Tums and lay on the couch watching reruns of the 10pm news and infomercials trying to take my mind off of my fears. After a couple hours of mindless drivel, I am usually so tired I can’t help but fall asleep.
Now as I write that, I see the absurdity of such a practice, particularly in light of the instruction Christ gives through the Apostle Paul when he says in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” It’s utter foolishness to seek comfort and peace from an inanimate object like TV or food or sex or whatever your “comfort” is, and yet our knowledge of this doesn’t seem to effect our choices. According to Paul (and Jesus for that matter), Christians aren’t supposed to be ruled by anxiety or fear. Instead we are to be ruled by the peace of God, which comes when we make our prayers known to him. When I turn to anyone/thing else than God to allay my fears, I don’t get abiding peace, I get fleeting comfort.
How sad I would be if Jackson or Anna Sloan were to turn to someone or something else than Denise or me when they were afraid. We would have missed an opportunity to come alongside them and hold them and remind them of our love and protection over them. How much more so does God want to hear about our fears and anxieties, not so he will judge us, but that he will come alongside us, through his Holy Spirit, and reassure us of His love and protection over us. The work of the gospel, after all, is rooting out the sin, fear and unbelief in our life and replacing it with a righteous confidence and trust in the person and work of Christ. So – next time I’m afraid about something, I will turn to God first and in my prayers/confessions to him I will expect to receive the peace of God that will allay my fear. Praise God for his grace and mercy!
brett eubank | unfinished 