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| Hope sign from Max Pixel |
Sometimes, when I'm afraid, it feels like I'm all alone. Fear feels like I'm standing watch on the wall of the Alamo, overlooking the Mexican camp of enemy soldiers.
Or the last Spartan standing before thousands of oncoming Greek soldiers.
Or a lone defender standing the wall at Helms Deep waiting for the hordes of Orcs.
Paul Atreides, the main character of Dune, had to constantly remind himself that "Fear is the mind-killer."
Joyce Myers wrote a book titled, "Battlefield of the Mind."
Bill Johnson wrote a book titled, "The War in Your Head."
Yoda, in "The Empire Strikes Back tells Luke, our young hero, that “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
Zach Williams has a song out where the chorus tells the listener:
"Fear, he is a liar
He will take your breath
Stop you in your steps
Fear he is a liar
He will rob your rest
Steal your happiness
Cast your fear in the fire
'Cause fear he is a liar"
Why do we humans find it so easy to be afraid of things: the dark, loud noises, spiders, or politicians? Maybe we're afraid of things that are bigger than the dark: death, sickness, or disease? What is fear? What does it mean to be afraid? Today, I share a few of my own thoughts about fear.
I'm a Lord of the Rings fan and Tolkien has moments where he describes the scene as our heroes face fantastic odds against their enemies. One such scene occurs at a place called Helm's Deep. It is supposed to be a fortress that can withstand any enemy and is a refuge for those who seek safety within its walls. Yet even in the book (and movie) the battle at Helm's Deep seems hopeless. Now, instead of standing the wall with armies of elves and dwarves at your side, imagine you are standing watch alone, as the hordes of invading Orc armies advance.
I'm also a native Texan and the story of the Battle of the Alamo is well known. Several hundred defenders standing against an army of several thousand - 10:1 odds. Now imagine being alone on the wall of the Alamo overlooking the Mexican army - 2000:1 odds.
These, for me, are images of fear and hopelessness.
Why do we get images of hopelessness like this? Why a picture of overwhelming odds? I'd take the spiders and politicians any day over the feeling of hopelessness.
The last few weeks of April, I constantly thought about the fear of overwhelming odds. As I read emails of support, joy, and friendship it occurred to me that instead of images like these:
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| Battle scenes from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy films |
But instead, what I really needed to do was turn around and experience images like these:
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| Jesus leading His angel armies (top) All the Marvel heroes coming to your rescue (mid) Gandalf leading the rescue armies at Helm's Deep (bottom) |
How many times do we feel like we're alone in the dark? How many times do we forget that we have God as our rear guard? Scripture promises that there are more for us than against us (2 Kings 6:16). One reading of Revelation 12:3-9, would imply that one-third of the angels fell with satan. If that is the case, then logic dictates that two-thirds of the angels remain with God.
Another problem with fear, is that for some reason, many think that God and satan are on equal footing and that in a battle between good and evil, each side stands an equal chance. But we, as 21st-century believers, are 2000 years into the victory of the cross. Jesus won the war over sin and death. It is now our place to acknowledge and live out His victory.
If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) We need to live our lives, not out of fear or hopelessness, but in the understanding that Jesus was victorious at the cross and that He is our hope and light. We have hope, even in the most desperate and hopeless situations.
~~Ken
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