Faith versus Fear

 

“I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” 

Psalms 34: 4

 

An example of this verse is the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who calls out to Christ to have mercy on him. Though he is told to be quiet, he cries out even more loudly. Jesus responds asking them to call him here. So, they do, asking him to take courage. “He is calling you.” Jesus asks him what he wants, and he distinctly tells him, I want to see again.

As I wrote this, I had to use a magnifying glass to read the cross references in my Bible. We middle-agers can now get glasses or have cataract surgery to help us see better – but not so in that day. David who wrote the above Psalms, did like Bartimaeus did and writes, “I sought the Lord and He answered me.” To seek here is to trust in the mercy of the Lord. No matter if others try to quiet you, saying your needs are not important or you’re not an important enough person to bother God.

But God hears us and answers us. The scripture says God delivers them from all their fears. “Fears” here can be translated as what one dreads. God is greater than anything we dread. Knowing this, our faith in God delivers us from fear. Jesus tells Bartimaeus, “Your faith has made you well.” The Jesus who asked what Bartimaeus wanted, encourages us also to ask in the as in Matthew 7:7. “Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened, ask and it shall be given.”

There is so much in the world today to be fearful of. Covid and other diseases, war, drought, and global warming are just some of the few. But if we have faith in God who is in control, God will help us through all fears that should come into our lives.

I'd like to close with what Pastor James Dollins shared at the last Sunday service:

I invite you to close your eyes to see the same view that Bartimaeus saw when he first met Jesus. Now imagine that Jesus is nearby, and you have the chance to meet him. You call him by his name, asking for him to show mercy, and He asks you, “What do you want me to do for you?” What would you say?

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