Nothing to Fear
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· 6 viewsHealthy Fear: Fear drives behavior – Mutual fear of God unites us
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The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me.
When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
Do not hide Your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation!
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
“So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
“So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
“So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
The words he spoke that morning would reverberate throughout the remainder of the Great Depression and throughout World War II.
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The words he spoke that morning would reverberate throughout the remainder of the Great Depression and throughout World War II. [video clip]
The words he spoke that morning would reverberate throughout the remainder of the Great Depression and throughout World War II. [video clip]
I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impels. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So,
first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself--nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933
--nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933
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The Stock Market Crash “Black Friday” was 4 years ago.
Hitler had come to power 2 months prior, and had already started converting Germany to dictatorship.
FDR’s words that morning would reverberate throughout the remainder of the Great Depression and throughout World War II, as the war looked unwinnable at times.
Today, our context is very different than his, so we don’t quite appreciate his words the same. His intent was to bolster the spirits of a beleaguered nation. Fear was rampant, and Roosevelt recognized the fact that
►►► fear cripples momentum and progress.
In 2008, when the recession really took hold, we saw manufacturing leaving the US, the housing bubble was about to burst and gas prices started rising. By the time this really peaked in 2012, average gas price was $3.66, but I remember $4.00 prices at points. People were unsure of the future and the stock market took a lot of dips and hits during that period.
I remember a lot of conversations with Annette during that time period where we lamented that the worse the news coverage reported, the worse the stock market dropped. That’s because FEAR drives away investment and progress! Although there were some bright spots in the economy, the coverage was all doom and gloom, and I still believe the reports “talked the market down” further than it would’ve dropped with more balanced coverage.
To support that argument — In a 2013 article, Forbes Magazine proposed that FEAR drives the markets more than any other factor: ►►► chart
There are a number of other factors which can have a negative effect on stocks, but fear is the essential issue. The following chart illustrates how stocks fall when fear rises and vice versa.
There are a number of other factors which can have a negative effect on stocks, but fear is the essential issue. The following chart illustrates how stocks fall when fear rises and vice versa.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikepatton/2013/09/26/fear-the-fed-and-the-erratic-behavior-of-stocks-part-i/#2565072ac31f
The blue line is the S&P 500 (stock market).
The green line is the VIX — a measure of volatility in the market that helps gauge fear in investors.
The green line is the VIX is a measure of volatility in the market and helps gauge fear in investors.
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Fear drives behavior, and our politicians have all learned that truth. Moreso on the national level, but Democrats, Republicans, Independents – they all run campaigns hoping to scare voters into voting for “me … because that other guy is SCARY!!!!”
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As I step off my soap box now and return to the pulpit…
The psalmist from today’s reading recognizes that fear drives people to make decisions they’ll later regret. So just like FDR did with his nation, this writer is bolstering God’s people:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?
Not exactly “nothing to fear but fear itself,” but the psalm continues:
1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? []
Not exactly “nothing to fear but fear itself,” but the psalm continues:
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Psalm 27:5–6 [NASB95]
5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me
6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Yahweh is light and salvation. He will hide me and protect me … so Who should I fear? No one!
Yahweh is light and salvation. He will hide me and protect me … so Who should I fear? No one!
Yahweh is light and salvation. He will hide me and protect me … so Who should I fear? No one!
Jesus tells us we should fear, but only one:
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
King Solomon wrote in Proverbs that “Fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom.”[] I’ve talked in the past about what that fear looks like, for today … let me use that to say fear is driving us to division.
[NASB]
[NASB]
28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
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King Solomon wrote in Proverbs that “Fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom.”[] I’ve talked about what that fear looks like, for today … let me use that to say fear is driving us to division.
You see…FEAR drives BEHAVIOR!
FDR knew that fear was driving behaviors that kept the economy stagnant and unhealthy.
Our politicians today know that fear will drive us to vote for them instead of their opponents.
The Psalmist knows that fear of any human being is unwarranted if God is on our side.
Solomon tells us that real wisdom begins with a healthy fear of Yahweh.
And Jesus knows that fear drives behavior when he echoes this ... saying we should fear the one who holds Heaven and Hell in his hands.
If your life … your decisions … your calendar … your behavior doesn’t reflect a fear of God, I would suggest your fear of God is lacking or at least not properly placed.
Because, if we don’t fear humans … if we don’t fear the economy … if we DO fear Yahweh – our behavior will show it. We will dedicate ourselves to God’s principles and a shared fear will bring unity without us striving for it.
Instead of letting other people divide us through fear. Let’s allow our shared fear of Yahweh to unite us in shaping our lives around His principles. Let our fear of God’s ability to condemn, unite us in service to the world around us who don’t know his ability to condemn OR his ability to rescue.
Let’s submit to God today out of fear and reverence, and unite in ministry to the world.