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SUMMER 2012
5
give grace to me only for today. The
grace I need for tomorrow will come
tomorrow. And spiritually, it’s a good
thing that we don’t receive tomorrow’s
manna today because then we could go
for two days without turning to Christ
for grace. The amazing thing about the
Christian life is that God has so
structured it that we need fresh supplies
of grace every day – new manna -
“grace” being the New Testament word,
“manna” the Old Testament one. We
need new manna for each day.
What is it about worry that enables it
to get such a grip on us?
It’s interesting that we speak of fear
getting a grip on us. I was thinking of
some Scriptural expressions like “fear
came upon them” and “fear gripped
them” – it’s like this outside force. And
with Christmas in mind, we remember
that fear overwhelmed the shepherds. I
think that’s the nature of strong fears -
they’re powerful and paralyse us. But
why do they have such a grip?
I think it’s because we fear losing
something we really love. It might be
our own lives or precious friends. One
of the things that I find as I get older is
that there are more people that I love. I
have more grandchildren, I have sons-
in-law, I have people in my church that
I love more dearly than I did 10 years
ago. And so we can become afraid to
lose them.
When Jesus said, “Don’t worry,” is he
implying that any concern we have for
others or for ourselves is wrong? If one
of our little children was lost, is it
wrong for us to be worried for them?
Again, I think this is where the Psalm
56 and Luke 12 passages speak so
powerfully to us. Psalm 56 doesn’t
rebuke fear. It tells is where to turn.
Luke 12 seems to rebuke it, but the
context shows us something quite tender.
“Don’t be afraid” is in the imperative,
we read it as a command. It means,
“Stop fearing”. When we read it like
this it has the power to multiply our
anxieties because whatever fears we had
before are now compounded by our
guilt because we can’t quell our fears.
But there’s another way to read it as
well. It’s possible to read it as an
expression of paternal care. It’s the kind
of comment that a father might make
to his son before he goes out driving:
“Son, be careful.” While it’s technically
an imperative, what I am really saying
is, “Son, I really love you. I know there
are dangers when you go out driving, so
please be careful.” So when you hear,
“Don’t be afraid” from that perspective,
it has quite a different tone to it.
Now there are times when I believe
“Do not be afraid” is a command.
When people cowered from taking the
land and refused to do battle, their fear
was sinful. Otherwise, the speaker is
not so much the Commander but the
sympathetic and gentle Shepherd.
Is it wrong to use the law of
probability to quell our fears?
That’s an important question. There is
a right way to use probabilities and
statistics as well as a wrong way.
For example, if one out of every three
aeroplanes crashed and killed everyone
on board, then it would not be a wise
thing as a Christian to fly. Statistics can
point out the path of wisdom.
That’s the nature
of strong fears –
they’re powerful
and paralyse us.
But why do they
have such a grip?
However, I think it’s wrong to use
statistics to quell our fears. I know a
man who struggled with fear. His wife
called him one day from work and said
that she was really scared about the
possibility of being assaulted. His
response to her was that there had never
been one instance of rape or robbery
within five miles of where they lived.
He thought he was being helpful to her,
but he was actually encouraging his wife
to trust in statistics rather to trust in
Christ’s protection and grace. It’s a sin
when we trust in probabilities. We don’t
trust in the odds; we trust in Christ.
When people are afraid, they often
experience a range of physical symptoms
like a racing heart, shortness of breath,
sense of panic. Is it possible to
overcome those symptoms?
I mentioned my friend who struggles
with panic attacks. The curious thing