Fear or Rejoicing?

I spent three days this week in Chicago at the national conference for an organization called the Gospel Coalition (If you would like to hear the content of the conference please go to their website - The Gospel Coalition National Conference Media). I am grateful to God for the opportunity to be at the conference. I was challenged and blessed and I was reminded of how incredible God is and how wonderful salvation is.

To get to Chicago, I drove to Omaha and flew from there. Early Tuesday morning I arrived at the airport. The mood around the gate was warm and upbeat. It was a sunny, warm morning, people were enjoying their coffee and many appeared to be beginning traveling adventures. One group of about eight people was talking about Beijing. The boarding process began right on time, which helped keep the atmosphere light and positive. But as we moved into the jetway, things seemed to change. As we walked down the slope and made the left turn to the plane, the tones of conversation changed, people feel quiet. If words were spoken it, they were few and expressed with noted hesitation. Why the change?

Well, as you made the left turn, you could see the plane and its roof. A considerable amount of the paint had chipped or peeled off the roof of the plane. A few of the words spoken mentioned the Southwest Airlines plane that lost a part of its roof back on April 1^st (here is a follow up story – Southwest Airlines Planes Still Grounded). What had been a sunny morning of excitement and anticipation of adventure, suddenly had become engulfed by a cloud of fear.

Fear is incredibly powerful. Fear can alter a life. If you don’t believe me, just ask Adam. Genesis 3:10 is the first expression of fear in human history. Because of fear, Adam hid from the Lord, his Creator, the One who had come to walk with him, the One who Adam was created to be in relationship with. I am well aware that I need to learn a great deal more about all the Bible says about fear, but I also know that God does not want us to live in the fear that Adam was living in. That is fear that marks are lives too.

Interesting thing, I was to fly home Thursday afternoon. In one of the three sessions on Thursday morning, Dr. Mike Bullmore spoke from the book of Zephaniah (Dr. Bullmore's Message). Near the end of his message he drew our attention to Zephaniah 3:15-17. Because of God’s incredible mercy and grace, though we sin and are separated from God, God, through the death and resurrection of His Son offers us the incredible gifts of forgiveness and a reconciled relationship with Him. Verses 15 to 17 read:

The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. ¹⁶ On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. ¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

When we are reconciled with God, fear becomes a non-issue. I do not need to fear evil. God is present and mighty to save. I do not need to dread evil. Dr. Bullmore noted how verse 17 ends: God’s joy of us. Sin brought us fear. With salvation through the Lord Jesus, God brings us His joy. God rejoices over us with singing. Right now, His voice might seem quiet, but it will get louder and as we draw near to Him, I think even now we will hear the volume increase.

I cannot say that I was immune from a sense of fear on Tuesday, but instead of touching the chipping paint and looking concerned, as I saw others do, I prayed. It was short, nothing profound, but in light of what I learned on Thursday morning, I guess the prayer was really a chance for me to hear God sing. Before long, I closed my eyes again, prayed some more and had a short peaceful nap. I did not need to be overwhelmed with fear. God was with me and He was starting to sing.

Fear is real, but so is God. Please, do not live in fear. God is present to reconcile you to Himself and purge your fear and replace it with His rejoicing presence in your life.