David wrote, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psa 27:1) Like many of the Psalms, they've even turned that one into a praise song. Good stuff.
Except I'm not so sure how many believers actually believe it. "Of whom shall I be afraid?" Well, lots of people. Any sane parent would fear letting their kids go to the park without close supervision. There are dangerous predators out there. Who in their right mind would go to, say, a Muslim country where Christians are killed for their faith to preach the Gospel? You need fear to employers who don't like Christians and find out you're sharing your faith at work. You ought to be afraid if you take a public position against "gay rights" ... or even a private one. You could cause a national controversy by doing something like that. Really, just about any public (or audible) position for Christ is a dangerous stance these days and, if you're a thinker, you'll be afraid of doing that. The cost can be high. I know of one Christian who was asked as a Christian to share his concerns with a well-known television host why he was opposed to "legalizing gay marriage" (as if that is a thing). Without even bringing up biblical standards, he spoke of the problem of redefining marriage until anything could be classified as such. He was ridiculed on the air on national television and then started receiving death threats ... without even taking a Christian stance.
And that's just a start.
It would appear, then, that David was not asking a rhetorical question. I mean, it was seriously "Can someone give me a list because clearly there are a lot of people, places, and things I should fear."
Or ... not.
Perhaps our fearfulness in modern living is predicated on a lack of faith, on a less than enlightening, saving, strong God. It is said that you can know what you truly believe by what you do rather than what you say. What do your fears say about what you truly believe about God?
1 comment:
I fear being a moron most of all, especially in my own eyes. I can think of so much I've said and done, even in my attempts to share the gospel, or do good--but by no means exclusively that--that make me cringe now. And I have no reason to believe that I won't today say/do something that will make me cringe next year. Such incidences come to mind out of the blue, to remind me that I can be such a moron, and suddenly drive me to discouragement. And the pile grows larger, year by year. I sometimes wonder if I could bear living any more than my allotted time. The burden would just be too great. There might be so many occasions to think about that I might not be able to consider anything else at all.
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