Fear-The Great Motivator

“Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.  And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest.”  Psalm 55:5-6

I read on-line recently a statement made by the writer of a particular blog who wrote, “Fear drives most of our actions”.  Could that be true?  Is fear the great motivator for much of what we do on a daily basis?  I began to think about my own actions and what motivates them.  I try to drive my car very carefully and keep my mind on my driving because I fear getting into an accident.  I also try to obey traffic laws, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because I don’t want to get pulled over by the police and get a ticket.  It always makes me nervous when a patrol car is driving behind me.  I remember when I was in high school that I tried to hide behind the student sitting in front of me because I feared getting called on, particularly if I didn’t know the answer to the question that the teacher was asking.  (Hiding never worked.)  When I was a CPA and prepared tax returns, I feared making a big mistake on someone’s 1040 so I would go over and over it before releasing it.  There are plenty more fears I have experienced and allowed to control my actions, thus, I suppose that blogger was right.

God gave us the emotion of fear for our own protection, that’s the emotion, not the spirit of fear.  There are some dangerous situations that we should avoid, for instance, a hissing sound in the woods, a stranger at our door after dark, or a suspicious offer that sounds too good to be true.  Fear can be a paralyzing emotion.  Some situation can arise that causes us to not be able to move or to think rationally.  Like King David in Psalm 55, we can become so overwhelmed with fear that we desire to just run away somewhere and escape the pain and trembling that we feel.  We want to wake up from the nightmare, but then realize that we can’t because the situation that we have found ourselves in is real.

There are many things that we fear that never happen, but that doesn’t stop us from fearing because this life teaches us that we will face the unknown from time to time.  After Job suffered the great losses that he did, he stated, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” (Job 3:25).  Thus Job, as much as he honored God and tried to live righteously, still had fears.  Scripture admonishes us to not fear earthly things.  Jesus said that a little sparrow could not fall to the ground without His Father being aware of it.  He also said that the hairs on our heads are numbered, and to not fear, because we are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:28-31).

It has been said and is true that we can’t be fearful and faithful at the same time.  In his first inaugural address during the time of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.  However, that is not what scripture teaches.  The only one that we are to fear is God.  If we truly fear Him in reverence and respect, we won’t need to fear anything else.  Of course, that’s easier said than done.  We just need to put our faith into action to overcome our fears.  Faith can dispel fear.  If we truly believe that God is in control, we know that nothing happens without His knowledge and permission, thus it is futile to be fearful.

Here is the way that I understand the fear of God:  It is recognizing His sovereignty and knowing that He can do whatever He desires, to whomever He desires, whenever He desires, and be perfectly justified in doing so.  Understanding and accepting that can make each one of us a more humble and faithful child of the King.  Just remember that God loves us and always has our best interest at (His) heart.  Jesus said in Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”