Be Not Afraid?
Dear Friends and Members of St. Andrew's:
Time and time again in scripture we are told to have no fear. In the 6th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asks, “Why do you worry?” Again in the same chapter Jesus asks you, “Can worrying add a single hour to your life?” In Luke, Jesus again tells us to not to worry about our life. When the disciples wake Jesus in the boat during a raging storm, his question to them was, “Why are you afraid?” When Jesus appeared to the disciples who were hidden away in the upper room after his crucifixion, the first words out of his mouth as recorded in Luke are, “Why are you troubled?” The 4th chapter of Philippians tells us to “Have no anxiety about anything.” How are you doing at having no fear?
If scripture keeps telling us to “Be not afraid” then why are we living in an “Age of Anxiety”? Is it because we just need more faith? Possibly; however, I think it is more than that. I believe that when Jesus told us not to worry or to have no fear, he knew that we would be afraid. In fact, I think Jesus knew that God wired us with the “fight or flight complex.” We are wired for anxiety!
Back in the days when we were hunters and gatherers, God gave us the fight or flight complex so that we could discern when a prehistoric monster was about to gobble us. Today we don’t have prehistoric creatures lurking around the corner, but when we believe we are in peril, alarm bells still go off in our head that get our anxieties going. So what are we to do? I believe the answer is in the end to trust God.
In his book, “The Me I Want to Be,” pastor, author and speaker John Ortberg writes, “I believe that when Jesus tells us to have no anxiety, he knew we would have anxiety any how. God rarely sends people into situations where their comfort level is high. Rather, God promises to be with people in their fear. It is God’s presence, not comfortable circumstances, that brings people to the best version of themselves.” Later Ortberg writes, “Peace doesn’t come from finding a lake with no storms. Peace comes from having Jesus in the boat.”
I believe that Ortberg is right. I wish I had a magic formula that would make you forever fearless, but I believe that you will experience fear and anxiety in your life. My prayer for you is that fear and anxiety not be the final word. Rather, in the midst of the fear, in the dark of the night, in the sun shine and times of joy, trust that God is God, that God is at work in your life, and that God will have the final word.
In Christ,
John Hogenson
Lead Pastor
St. Andrew's Lutheran Church
Mahtomedi, Minnesota
Church Offices: 651-426-3261
