Overcoming Fear

Franklin Delano Roosevelt began his presidency during a time when the country was facing a tremendous economic challenge. The stock market had crashed 3 years earlier, and the impact had devastated the economy to an extent that makes today's headlines seem mild. Unemployment was at 25%, about half of all mortgages were in default, and thousands of banks and savings and loans had failed. As Roosevelt stepped up to the microphone at his inauguration, some of the first words he spoke became immortal:

"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."

FDR recognized that economic difficulties naturally tend to stir up feelings of fear, and he wisely sought to address these feelings directly as he assumed the presidency. But what about his answer? Is "not fearing" fear the best way to deal with it? Don't the threats continue to exist, even if we refuse to be afraid? Are our own efforts always adequate to produce the "advance" that we desire? And for the millions of real people (Christians included) who struggle with fear amidst today's myriad of uncertainties — doesn't God give tools for not just denying fear, but actually overcoming it?

FDR's words that day became part of our national consciousness because they were a call to courage in the face of some very scary circumstances. Such a call from a leader in the midst of crisis is appropriate and commendable. But to call people to hope apart from a concrete reason to hope can just be an expression of wishful thinking and does nothing more to help our situation than shivering in fear does.

In order to understand this truth, we need to understand that when we are afraid, there are generally 2 components at work simultaneously. First, there is a threat of some kind; a set of circumstances that makes us feel that something bad might to happen to us. Second, there is an awareness that we lack the resources to keep the bad thing from happening. For the citizens who heard FDR share his address that day, the threat was that they would have to face financial ruin and all that that entails. They also were aware that they couldn't realistically stop financial catastrophe from visiting their home. Thus, they were scared. Was their fear justified? Yes, it was. The truth is that in spite of Roosevelt's New Deal programs and his call to abandon fear, the country's serious financial troubles would persist for another 10 years or so after this speech. And was it the effort and courage of the American citizens that stemmed the tide and ended the Great Depression? No. History suggests that it was the tremendous infusion of money into the American economy from WW2 spending that finally brought financial relief.

The Bible records many examples of fearful people who placed their hope in themselves and were sorely disappointed with the outcome. Peter was so petrified the night of Jesus' arrest that he first impulsively attacked the authorities who came to take Jesus and later disowned Christ 3 times to save his own neck. Yet the night before, Peter had boasted confidently that even if all the other disciples abandoned Jesus, he would never do so (Matthew 26:33) He had very good reasons to be afraid the next day, and the sad outcome was not avoided by his soaring rhetoric and expressions of self confidence. When push came to shove on the night of Jesus' betrayal, Peter's fears kicked in as his resources failed.

Contrast Peter's brazenness with the boldness of three young Hebrew captives, who bravely and calmly faced the threat of being cast alive into a fiery furnace, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king." (Daniel 3:17) In place of self confidence, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego announced their faith in God to deliver them. They believed that they could place their very lives into the hands of God, and that He had the resources to keep them from harm.

But was theirs a blind leap of faith? Were they simply denying the danger that they were in (in the name of courage)? Or were they ignoring the possibility that God might not choose to spare them? No, because the next words they spoke indicated that theirs was a faith that squarely faced the reality of the whole situation, "But if not (i.e., even if God does not deliver us), be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." They had made up their minds that they were going to trust and obey God, resting in His wisdom, and content to accept His perfect will whether it meant deliverance or martyrdom.

In these days of financial uncertainty, God issues a call to courage for us as well. But it is not a baseless "hope for hope's sake" or an injunction "not to fear fear" that He offers. According to the Word of God, fear is not overcome by denying the dangers that we face nor by placing undue confidence in ourselves or anything else in all creation. It is overcome by facing the threats honestly while also fully recognizing God as our Guide, Companion, and Deliverer. We will not slay the dragons of fear in our lives by "efforts to advance rather than retreat" but by laying hold the promise of God's presence, His wisdom and His loving care.

Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:5)