An Antidote to Fear

Hi Friends,

I’d like to give you the take-away from this post right up front. Ready? Fear steals memory but memory steals fear. Let me say that again, fear steals memory but memory steals fear.  So if you don’t remember anything else from this email remember, fear steals memory but memory steals fear.

                

For those still with me, let’s begin to unpack this a bit further. I daresay the subject of fear will never make the New York Times best-selling topic list. In fact, it’s a subject that can be just as uncomfortable and disconcerting for me as it is for you, but it’s a subject we each can identify with. Was there something that came to mind when I first mentioned the topic of fear? If not, look no further than world events, the threat of cancer, the state of the economy, or some other personal event(s). I think you get the point. As Christians, how should we approach fear? What does the Bible have to say about the subject of fear? Are there any stories of men and women in the Bible whose fear stole their memory? How did they respond?  

                

To answer that last question, let’s consider the story of Abram from Genesis 12. I’d recommend reading the whole chapter but the verse I’d like to key in on is verses two and three which says,

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3 ESV).

Pause! Let’s consider for a moment what just happened. The God of the Universe spoke to Abram and made an incredible promise to him! I’m pretty sure Abram knew exactly who God was and that this was a big deal. I mean, this wasn’t any Joe Shmoe walking up to Abram and saying this blessing, no it was Almighty God!

This realization is cemented even further when we skip down to verse seven and Abram’s response which was, “so he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him” (Genesis 12:7 ESV). This was quite literally a “mountain top” experience for Abram and he didn’t want to forget such a significant event, so he built an altar to commemorate the occasion. My equivalent modern day practice would be to write in a journal when I feel like God has given me something special that I want to remember, lest I forget. I’ll bet we all do things to help us remember God’s faithfulness.

                

So what happens next? Skip ahead to verse eleven which says, “When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, ‘I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake’” (Genesis 12:11-13 ESV).

What just happened?!  Only shortly before God made a special promise to Abram. But when push came to shove and Abram was faced with the prospect of conflict, fear stole Abram’s memory. Abram panicked and forgot God’s promise and the faithfulness the promise represented.

I love how God doesn’t leave Abram hanging, even though fear stole his memory. He demonstrated his mercy to Abram in this narrative by sparing his life. In that era, if you lied to a Pharaoh, you weren’t known to have a long life-span. Yet, God wasn’t done teaching Abram.

Fast forward to Genesis 15:1 which says, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great’ (Genesis 15:1 ESV).  

Wow! Even though fear stole Abram’s memory of God’s promise, God was still faithful to Abram and he hadn’t forgotten him. God was willing to meet Abram exactly where he was and speak into both his internal and external fears (which He does with us, too).

                

I think each one of us could put ourselves in the place of Abram during this narrative and the same could just as easily have been said of us. I know when a fearful thought strikes my first inclination is not to remember God’s faithfulness. Yet this is one of the most powerful antidotes to fear: meditating on God’s faithfulness.

I can’t help but wonder how our lives would be different if fear didn’t steal our memory? I daresay we’d live with a greater measure of freedom, peace, and hope as we remembered and meditated on the faithfulness of God. You see, this is how memory steals fear.  When we remember just how much God loves us and how incredibly faithful He’s been to us, then the teeth are taken out of the fear. It holds no power. Storing memories of the faithfulness of God really does make a difference.

I wish I had a jar where I could store more and more memories of the faithfulness of God. The Bible is also full of promises which we can turn to when we need to be reminded of God’s faithfulness. The Sabbath would be a great time to sit down and make a list of how God has been faithful to you. The day itself is a reminder of his faithfulness and how much He values ceasing from daily rigors.

However you choose to spend the day, may you be blessed and encouraged by the truth that memory steals fear. My hope and prayer for each one of you is that you can put this idea into practice, and thus experience powerful life-change and freedom!
#nofear #faith #god #love