I'm about half-way through Edward Welch's new book Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest. I wanted to build on my earlier post and share some of Ed's insights that have really spoken to me:What is God's most frequent command?
The answer is: "Do not be afraid." (Here's a sampling of the over 300 occurrences of this command in the Bible: Genesis 15:1; Genesis 21:17; Numbers 21:34; Isaiah 54:4; Daniel 10:12; Matthew 1:27; John 14:27)
There are two things to remember about fear or worry. First, like any strong emotion, it wants to be the boss. It claims to tell us how life really is, and it won't be easily persuaded otherwise. Fear doesn't trust easily.
Second, when fear escalates, it wants relief and it wants it now. Fear is impatient.
One of the first steps in combating fear and worry is to slow down. "Be still" (Psalm 46:10) is another of God's exhortations to fearful people.
The odd thing is that fear and anxiety are running away from something, but they don't know what to run to. They know danger, but they don't know where to find peace and rest. If fear slows down for a minute, it realizes peace and rest can only reside in someone rather than something.
Fear calls out for a person bigger than ourselves.
The problem is that our worries and fears remind us of our own smallness, so to rely on ourselves takes us back to where we started. If you are jaded because you feel as though God has been unreliable, look at it this way: there are no other choices.
So here is the proposal: let fear point us to the knowledge of God, and let the Spirit of God teach us the knowledge of God.
Think of the Bible as the unfolding story of God's revelation about himself. As such, "Do not be afraid" says something about God even before it speaks to us.
Scripture assumes that we will be afraid and anxious at times. What is important is where we turn, or to whom we turn when we are afraid.
