The Overflow · Reflection

If We Believe, Then Why Do We Fear?

by G · 82No Live

In a room filled with believers on revival night the pastor may say “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” and the room will light up with praise, people jumping and clapping and verbally co-signing the sentiment. Let the pastor get into a deep southern Baptist rasp as he says “I shall Feeaaaaarrr no Evilllll” and an all-out praise break may ensue. They’ll all say that they are soldiers in the army of the Lord while on their way out of the sanctuary… right until they walk out the building and the parking lot lights aren’t working…

In that moment many will freeze… look around for any possible threats, even turn back to find someone from leadership to see why the lights aren’t on and what’s the solution. Cellphones and travel-sized flashlights will appear. Buddy groups will be formed to venture through the parking lot they would normally sit and talk in long after Sunday service is over. On an Easter Sunday right after service, families will join together taking pictures with every possible combination and pose, giving the parking lot a post-high-school-graduation vibe. But now that darkness is in the parking lot we stand on the edge of the sidewalk like we are at the pool trying to see if the water is too cold. Toe dipping.

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While we are contemplating all the things that could possibly crawl from under our cars and consume us as we attempt to return to our vehicles, I can only wonder how God sees us. To see us, in a sense, giving power to the unknown… to shadows. When Jesus is in fact the light, and it’s documented in John 8:12 that Jesus said:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

In that moment shouldn’t we be walking by faith and not by sight? Makes me think of the videos I’ve seen where people are standing at the glass panel in the zoo taunting the gorillas. If the glass were ever to shatter, the people would scatter. Are we only able to walk in the valley, unafraid of darkness, in controlled environments — when really whatever’s in the darkness should be afraid of us?

Are we unknowingly being conditioned to fear? When the random person from off the street comes into the sanctuary to seek God, and leadership and security walk him out… are we afraid of what he might do? What could he do that God can’t stop? When the employer is mistreating us or someone else on the job and we stay quiet in order to keep our job… are we afraid God won’t open the door for another job opportunity? Did we forget Jesus told us in Matthew that he came but they didn’t feed or clothe him… or when we were told to seek the kingdom and His righteousness first and all things will be added? In these moments it seems we allow fear to overcome us… is it fear no evil, or do we fear all evil?

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Does having fear mean there are areas of faith and belief that need to be strengthened? What does it take for us to walk into the parking lot and know that we have the one true light with us? If we truly believe, we have to thoroughly believe. I’m not saying jump in front of a moving train, but I am saying fear shouldn’t have territory. We should walk it out of the body much like security does with the man off the street… The Bible acknowledges that fear exists, but we are told not to fear, for God is the great I AM… and everything else is not. I understand there being a level of discernment that goes with it. The idea that you “can never be too safe” — but we must ask ourselves: