While there are times when its good instinctively to be afraid (God gives us a nervous system with survival instincts to keep ourselves safe from danger), for the most part fear is a dangerous and unhealthy response to life.

On March 4, 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in as the 32nd President of the United States. America was in the depth of one of, if not the most, severe economic depressions in its entire history. Almost a full quarter of the country’s workforce was unemployed, over 12 and a half million people. For those blessed enough to keep their jobs, employees were forced to endure a wage decrease on average of 42% between 1929 and 1933. The country was indeed depressed, and not just economically. To begin his inaugural address, the new President uttered what would arguably become one of the most remembered statements of his entire presidency: “ So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself”

This past month, as the world has watched and prayed while the Russian army has invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine, images of young mothers and children having to flee to safety, or hunker down in bomb shelters have flooded our media, imaginations, and our hearts. The courage and tenacity of the Ukrainian people have been inspiring. But fear is a powerful and all-consuming weapon. Not just overseas and in far away lands, but even in our own first-world lives of comfort and affluence we can be easily overwhelmed by fear and worry. My son sometimes will still come into our room at night and admit his fear of the dark (I did too as a kid). We fear what our next doctor’s visit might uncover, if there will be enough money in our bank account when it’s time to retire, what others may or may not think about us, if our hopes and dreams will be realized,  or even just what tomorrow may bring. As human beings in a fallen world, we fear whether it’s justified or not. And while there are times when its good instinctively to be afraid (God gives us a nervous system with survival instincts to keep ourselves safe from danger), for the most part fear is a dangerous and unhealthy response to life. “Fear not” or its derivation, is the most common imperative in the Bible, mentioned some 365 times (like taking medicine once a day, perhaps?). Though I’m not making any comment on his political philosophy or government,  I think FDR was correct almost 90 years ago when he challenged the nation to recognize that fear is an enemy of our well-being and growth. Especially as Christians, we ought to “fear fear itself” for at least the following three reasons:

Fear Forgets

A fruit of fear is spiritual amnesia. It can cause us to forget the most foundational truth of all, that God is on His throne and in firm control. God says through the prophet Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) God’s relationship to His people is covenantal, meaning He has bound himself to us. His promises fuel our faith when we remember that He really is who He says He is, and He will really do what He pledges to do. When we fear, we are living as if He isn’t on the throne. We act and allow ourselves to consider what might be totally devoid of His sovereign and fatherly care. When we are faced with the unknown, as troubling and natural as it may be, we must fight fear with the truths that we do know for sure. One of my favorite movies is the 1993 movie, “Rudy”. The main character, Rudy Ruettiger, struggles with achieving his dream, to gain acceptance to and play football at the University of Notre Dame. One day he is praying in the chapel after another failed attempt to gain admission, and he has a conversation with the fictitious priest, Father Cavanaugh. Father Cavanaugh responds to Rudy’s desperation and plea for help with the line, “Son, in thirty-five years of religious study, I have come to two hard incontrovertible facts: there is a God, and I’m not Him.”

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