Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. | Exodus 20:18–21
I have always loved the above verses. This is right after God has told the people that they will be His treasured possession and has given them the 10 commandments; their response is to be terrified. God tells them (through Moses) both that they should not fear, but that He has done this so that they will fear. This should tip us off to the fact that God has a complex idea of what fear is and how we, as people will be affected by it.
This becomes especially important in times where fear seems to be all around us. In the last few weeks, the coronavirus went from something that was happening somewhere else into a full-scale national emergency. In response to this, Christians began sharing verses about not fearing, with some declaring that anyone who fears the virus is lacking faith. The response to this tends to be a recognition that faith should not lead us to foolishness; while the truth of the gospel IS foolishness to the world, sometimes the reason why people are called foolish is because they are actually being dumb. This argument does round and round, with both sides feeling like they are winning the battle.
Rather than arguing about whether we should or should not fear, it may be better to think through the various different ways that we use the word fear. To do this, I have broken fear into three categories: concern, worry, and despair. I want to define each and see what the Bible says about it.
CONCERN
The first way that we use the word fear is to describe a general sense of concern. To fear the coronavirus, in this way, would be to recognize the potential community health crisis that it poses. This kind of fear would lead you to take steps to minimize the risk for yourself and those around you. There are some religions and sects of Christianity that deny this kind of fear, rejecting treatment for physical issues and medication for mental disorders. The defense of this is that God is in control and so we should simply let Him handle it. Prayer is often used here as the solution to any and every human problem.
While we should obviously turn to God with our concerns, this doesn’t mean that we deny the earthly reality of them. A similar argument could be made for not mourning when someone is dead because we know that they are in heaven. The Biblical response to this is two simple words: Jesus wept (John 11:35). Knowing that He would bring His friend back to life, Jesus still mourned his death. Part of being human is dealing with the limitations of these earthly bodies and stewarding them well (this includes our role as members of a community as well). It is right for us to fear the things that destroy what God has created in a way that works to limit this destruction.
WORRY
The second way that we tend to use the word fear is to worry. This kind of fear is a dread of the uncertain future. The Bible clearly addresses this kind of fear, saying:
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. | Luke 12:27–31
People will point to this and claim that this makes worry a sin: it is going against the command of Jesus not to worry. If you read the whole chapter, Jesus is revealing to His disciples that trusting in their security rather than God will eventually collapse, and that God is offering them a place to put their hope that will help keep them from the depths of worry. He makes it clear that worrying accomplishes nothing and that acting in faith is a better use of your time.
That said, worry is an inevitable part of being human. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane bears this out. It would be hard to read the case of Jesus praying that God would take this cup from Him, and sweating blood, and come away with the idea that Jesus was not worried. Being fully human, Jesus faced the limitations of humanity and the fear of not being in control. We all face this as well. Avoiding it is not an option; the issue is: what do you do with it? Jesus gives us an example here by taking it to His Father in prayer. The goal is not to never worry, but to learn to use our worry as a means to deepen our trust in God.
DESPAIR
The third way that we use the word fear is to describe despair. This is what happens when our worry is not dealt with. Worry that festers within us and reminds us of our own fragility will eventually cause irrational fear. This fear is what we see in people who horde toilet paper and yell at Costco employees for ruining their lives. It is because their life is their ultimate end. The overwhelming fear of not being able to control outcomes comes out in trying to control everything they can.
This despair can also paralyze people and lead them to emotionally shut down. Many people in despair give up on life and look for ways to escape, often through abusing substances. Over-control and giving up come from the same root: fear. The only remedy for this is, ironically, what the Bible calls: fear.
In the verse we started with, God is calling the people of Israel not to fear Him in a way that leads them to run away from Him (control) or hide (give up). Instead, He wants them to have a fear of God that is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). This fear is recognizing that God is in control of all things and that He is working to reveal His glory through even the most difficult times. Those who trust in Him hold on to this fear when they reach the end of themselves. They also build their lives on His truth, because the only control any of us have is in whether we follow the way of the Creator or not.
In times like this, the people of God need not despair, because we know that our lives can honor God in both life and death (Philippians 1:20-21). We will worry, but this is an opportunity for us to come to God in prayer so that He may encourage and shape us. Concern is an important part of discernment, thinking through how we can best pursue the welfare of our communities. Let me use a personal example to explain this:
My mother has had 3 different kinds of cancer. From the first time she was diagnosed, we decided to fight it with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. This was not out of a lack of faith, but in trusting that God had sovereignly advanced medicine and equipped doctors to be able to help people with cancer. As these treatments went on, there were moments when the potential side effects and results of the cancer (thanks WebMD) caused worry. My mother used these to remember the God who she has placed her hope in. Ultimately, her hope and peace (lack of despair) in the midst of trying times was a picture of her faith and the God in whom she has put her fear.
As we move forward with COVID-19 and things get scarier and hit closer to home, let us fear, but not fear. May the way that we, as Christians, live in the midst of much fear be a clear statement about where our ultimate fear lies: with the Alpha and Omega, the God who is sovereign over all.