FEAR'S FORGETFULNESS
"If you say in your heart, 'These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?' you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. (Deuteronomy 7:17-19)
We previously learnt that fear is bound up with our thinking. It comes from fear producing thoughts. And so in the fight against fear, we need to focus on our thoughts. This is not to say thinking is bad. The idea is not to eradicate our thinking, but to change it. The problem is not that we think, but that we don’t think as we ought.
The most important thought change we need to make is the addition of God. We don’t live in an atheistic universe. This is God’s world and we are God’s people. He must be a part of our thinking. We see this in Moses’ strategy. After exposing the fear producing thoughts, he begins to bring God into the picture.
“Remember what the LORD your God did in Egypt.”
Remember. This is a command addressed at our thoughts. “Remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out.” You were slaves in Egypt. You were powerless to the might of Egypt. Remember how God defeated Pharaoh and his army and rescued you without you having to do anything. You’re listening to thoughts in your heart about how great these nations are. Start preaching to yourself about how great your God is.
We must do the same with our own personal struggles with fear. Thankfully, we have help in doing this. The Bible is filled with stories of God’s activity in history. Stories of God’s power and might. Stories of God’s faithfulness. Stories of God’s holiness. Stories of God’s love and compassion. These are all provided for us so that we may remember our Great God.
The Israelites of Moses’ day had the redemption from Egypt to remember. We now have something even greater. The cross is God’s redemption par excellence. The cross provides the fullest display of God’s power, grace, justice, and holiness. Christian, remember what the LORD your God did at the cross.
You shall not be afraid, but you shall remember what the LORD your God did.
In your present struggle with fear, what can you remember about God and His actions that are relevant to your situation?
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