When I am
afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have
put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? Psalms 56:3-4
As we saw in yesterday’s devotion, fear can cause a great
deal of damage in our lives. However,
fear can also play a healthy role in our lives. God created us with this emotion and its power
for a very specific reason. So, what is
the function of fear? When is it helpful? When is it harmful? Let’s take a closer look at what fear does for
us.
Because life is full of dangerous situations, fear is not
only unavoidable but often necessary. In
the realm of emotions, fear is like friction. Too much friction heats things up, wears them
out prematurely, and hinders movement. With
too little friction, things can quickly get out of control and dangerous. That’s true about fear as well. We need fear to keep things from spinning
dangerously out of control. But too much fear can suffocate creativity and
reduce life to mere survival.
A certain amount of fear and
anxiety is good for us. Healthy fear can serve us well by:
1.
Warning us
of danger. The primary function of healthy fear is to warn us of danger. It alerts us to our vulnerability and urges us
to take precautions. It’s foolish not to
be afraid when the shrillness of a blaring smoke alarm pierces the stillness of
a restful night’s sleep. You would be
ignoring a warning signal that danger lurks nearby and you are at risk.
·
In much the same way that pain functions in the
body to alert us that we’ve been injured and are in need of medical assistance,
fear grabs our attention and prepares us for dealing with danger by either
getting out of harm’s way or by confronting the danger head-on.
·
The Bible illustrates the healthiness of
self-preserving fear in the presence of danger. On several occasions, David fled for fear of
his life from the presence of a jealously murderous King Saul. Joseph and Mary, in obedience to an angel that
spoke to him in a dream, fled from Bethlehem and escaped to Egypt because they
feared the wicked King Herod would attempt to kill Jesus.
In all these cases, fear was
appropriate because the danger was real. It isn’t cowardly or wrong to be
afraid of life-threatening danger. When recognized and heeded, the warning
alarm of fear can help us to live wisely and more safely in a dangerous world.
2.
Motivating
us to excel. All of us deal with deadlines of one sort or another. If you
don’t meet them, you’re dead! Or at least you wish you were. Properly
harnessed, the fear of failure can be a powerful motivation to do your best. The apostle Paul spoke of the fear of God’s
final judgment as a powerful motivation in his ministry to persuade others of
the hope of the gospel. Not only did he
want others to escape the wrath of God as their judge, but he also wanted the
approval of God as he stood before Him for his reward.
But fear is not always a friend. It can go awry—and often
does. When it does, it becomes a foe to be reckoned with. We will share some thoughts on that
tomorrow. Today, recognize that healthy
fear can be a protection and a motivator.
To say it simply, we must not fear
fear. Properly handled fear can be an
asset to our lives. Thank God today for
the way He made us to live in a fallen world.
Scripture to Claim:
Then they said to
Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to
us, or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for
God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain
with you, so that you may not sin."
Exodus 20:19-20
