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we might escape the experience of fear?
No, it doesn’t. We won’t find any
promises in the Bible that we’re going
to be spared the things that we fear.
Some of the things we fear most might
be the very things that come upon us.
However, in Scripture we discover that
God is a God of compassion. For
instance, in Luke 12:32-4 it reads,
“Don’t be afraid, little flock: for your
Father has been pleased to give you the
kingdom.” This comforting passage
reminds us that God loves us and is with
us. Nothing can separate us from His
care. So we won’t have a fear-free life,
but we can expect to grow in knowing
God’s comfort in those fearful situations.
I have just talked to a friend today who
is struggling with panic attacks. He has
used this as a time to grow in knowing
Christ, and he has certainly grown. The
fruit of that growth, however, is not
freedom from panic attacks. It is that
he turns quickly to Jesus when they
arise and he is resting in his Good
Shepherd in a way that inspires me.
Ed, are some people more prone to
worry than others. Are they wired
that way?
That’s an interesting question. I think
of my own family where I’m the one
who is prone to worry and my wife is
not. It’s not that she lacks an
imagination to envision scary future
possibilities because she certainly can
do that. I think I tend to be more self-
analytical and a bit more pessimistic in
nature whereas she’s a can-do optimist.
So I think that those of us who tend
more towards pessimism can be a bit
more prone to worry.
Why do we often imagine that things
are worse than they really are?
There a couple of reasons for that. I
think the obvious one is that we tend to
imagine the worst in order to prepare
for the worst – if we can invent all the
possible contingencies then we won’t
be taken by surprise if they happen. So
I think some worry tends to be a form
of self-protection. It’s a way of
preparing ourselves for the worst.
Here’s another reason. Let me use the
illustration of drowning because it’s been
significant for me. I’m actually a pretty
good swimmer, and I like being around
water but I’ve been in near-drowning
situations, and the idea of drowning
scares me. I can remember an
overwhelming sense of fear that came
on me after I saw a horrible drowning
episode in a movie, and I knew then that
I had to take a harder look at my fears.
What was at the root of them? I think
the answer is that I was trying to
imagine the future without factoring in
the grace that God would give me in
such a situation. It’s not hard to
identify the grace that God gives me for
today because it’s a real and present
experience. But it’s harder to imagine
grace for tomorrow.
A passage I’ve found helpful in this
regard is Exodus 16. It’s about God’s
daily gift of the manna to Israel. I think
this passage speaks directly to my fears
because it reminds me that God will