FEAR KNOT

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about the state of our economy. He, like myself, was in business and could see the ever-increasing signs of a weakening economy. We both concluded that the general mood or mindset of most Americans is still one of fear and worry. Consumer confidence is at an all time low, and the present hope of a change in the leadership of our country has all but lost its luster. I found it interesting that when confidence bottoms out, everyone begins to question leadership. And rightly so. Everything rises and falls on leadership. As I reflected on our conversation, I came back to the mindset of most Americans….and then, the mindset of most Christ-followers in these bleak times. And eventually, my mindset in this present moment. In the past when our country has neared a recession or even began to see the slowing down of the economy, the mindset remained one of hope and confidence. That this slowdown was only temporary. That we would pull out of it in a few months. That it was just a market correction, and that the mighty American dream was not turning into an American nightmare. Yet, now it seems different. Now it seems inevitable…now the thoughts and hopes that could hold fear at bay have been abandoned like a sinking ship and we have jumped overboard, embracing the inevitable and letting fear grip us like the icy waters of a tumultuous ocean. Fear is a funny thing. As I meditated on the Word this morning, I realized that fear does two things to us:
1. Fear causes us to do things we shouldn’t do- I am the guiltiest in this. My disposition generally is one of skepticism and doubt…both of which seem to run in the Fear posse. Fear can cause us to freeze up, to hold onto, to withhold and to make decisions that reflect that we have checked our common sense at the door and proceeded into survival mode. It also leads us to make rash, momentary, temporary decisions.
2. Fear keeps us from doing things we should do- We begin to think that we have to get all we can, that we must solve each and every problem in a way that best suits our fear-based needs, that we can’t get involved or can’t give or can’t trust because the clouds on our horizon definetly speak of an oncoming storm. So we fret…we wait…we hoard…we worry….Fear paralyzes us. At the core of every anxious thought and fretful worry is a fear which is rooted in unbelief… that God is not good enough or wise enough or strong enough to take care of us in tight times. Even though, He has taken care of our eternity, He is unable to take of our time laden problems. Maybe that is why Peter told his readers in I Peter 3 to

”… not fear what others fear…do not be frightened.”

Fear extinguishes hope and trust and is the litmous test of what we truly are hoping for in this life. It is the great revealer of our desires. Peter is actually quoting from Isaiah 8 where the prophet says to not get entangled in the fears that those who know not God get bound up in, but rather to fear God…and He will be a sanctuary. When our desires get so entrenched in the temporary things of this day, the thought of losing those things creates a panic inside. Rather than live in the protection of God's advice to "Fear not...", we find ourselves living in the immobility and lack of faith caused by the fear knot.