FREEDOM FROM FEAR, PART 2: BEING FORGOTTEN BY GOD

Matthew 6:25-34 (NASB)
David Bruce Linn, Pastor-Teacher
15 September, 2002
All Rights Reserved

I. DEBBIE TAKES FLIGHT

The falcon soared gracefully in a circle above the Scottish heather. It wheeled at the call of the falconer, diving in ever-shortening arcs until it landed unexpectedly on Debbie’s shoulder. “Sorry!” called out the falconer in a gentle Scottish brogue, guiding the powerful bird onto Debbie’s leather arm protection. “He’s not supposed to do that! They trained him like that as a joke, and now I can’t get him to stop doing it. It scares the tourists.”

“No harm done,” Debbie allowed. “I’m just glad to be here. He can land on my head if he wants!”

It was just months ago when the numbness and weakness in Debbie’s left side had begun. A friend, who knew Debbie would just keep zooming until she fell over, had prevailed on her: “You need to get that checked, and soon.” Thus began the worst nightmare of Debbie’s life. First the rounds of general tests, then the more specialized and urgent ones. Each test increased her anxiety.

The dread news came from her doctor on a sunny Tennessee day: “Your symptoms are being caused by a brain tumor.”

The news sent Debbie spinning, and many of her Christian friends and colleagues spun out completely. People began to look at her like she was a broken thing, like she was a shade of a future they all wished to avoid. She had been a single mother, committed Christian, and college faculty member. Now she was Tumor Woman, Doomed Woman. In a not-so-subtle way, the world began recalculating around her as if she were already gone.

Life became difficult. The head of her department at the college where she taught seemed eager to push her out of classroom teaching. “You’re going to fall over dead in a classroom full of students!” the woman had said, tolling the bell of doom. “Think of what that would mean for the college.” Others whispered encouragements to her in the hallway, offering to grade papers and fill in the gaps so Debbie could continue to teach.

Like a person about to pass out, darkness began to creep in at the edge of Debbie’s life vision. The quiet destruction of fear was taking its toll. Questions about the future became a plague. If she could not teach, how would she make a living? Should she stop work on her doctorate? And what man would want a relationship with Tumor Woman?

Debbie shoved all that aside and went for a second opinion at a prestigious university medical center. She was flabbergasted at the diagnosis. “You don’t have cancer,” the neurosurgeon said matter-of-factly as if he released people from death sentences all the time. “There is a small spot on the MRI, but I don’t think…”

“Show me where!” Debbie interrupted. “Point to the spot on my head where this thing is.” But the doctor refused. “Trust me,” he replied. “That small blip on the MRI is not your problem. The hole at the base of your skull where the spinal cord exits is too small. It’s pinching, and that’s what causes the numbness and weakness. Good thing you came to me. You would have been totally paralyzed in a few months.”

The surgery to carve a larger hole in Debbie’s skull went well. She expected to return to normal life immediately, but some of the numbness and weakness remained. She began physical therapy and tried to look on the bright side: “At least I’m not dying of brain cancer!” But the process of healing from the surgery seemed to stretch out interminably. She thought it was just a long recovery period, but now fatigue and mind fog seemed to have settled in to stay. It was back to the doctors and more bad news. Debbie’s emotions were flat as she heard the new diagnosis: “You seem to have an autoimmune disorder…probably from the surgery. Your body is attacking itself. There is no easy cure, but we can slow it down and manage the symptoms. Some patients make a full recovery.”

The words were no comfort, and the dark thoughts returned with a vengeance: “Is this what my life will be now? How can I even make a living when I’m this tired all the time? What’s the use?” Debbie realized she was boxed in. It was either curl up and die or run with the Lord. Debbie decided to run. “Lord Jesus, I’m flinging myself on you. I don’t know how this works, but hold me up, Lord…hold me up.”

That’s how Debbie got to the Scottish highlands, en route to summer studies at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. She felt the powerful grip of the majestic falcon on her arm. The sun played on her face in a game of hide-and-seek with the clouds, and the earthy smell of the Scottish countryside wafted over her. The falconer sent the great bird aloft again, and as it beat its wings to gain altitude Debbie’s heart went with it.

II. THE LITTLE DEATH

One of the greatest challenges of life for everyone is to avoid giving in to fear. Someone has said that fear is the little death. In other words, because of our fears, we withdraw from life. I remember visiting some man-made caves in Lockport, New York. The entrance to the tour of the caves was a corrugated-steel tunnel which went into the side of a cliff. The guide unlocked the steel gate, herded everyone inside up a flight of steel steps, and then locked the gate behind us. I have a bad fear of small spaces, and so I hung to the back of the line. As we walked up into the darkness my anxiety shot through the roof. My heart started pounding, and the whole "fight or flight" response kicked in. There was a little six-year old boy there with his family, and suddenly he cried out: "Mommy, I want to get out of here!" I said to myself: "You and me buddy! We'll let these tourism junkies do this tour and meet them at the other end!"

Instead of running out with the little guy I fought my way to the top of the steps and enjoyed most of the tour, as did my little buddy. You see, fears are always threatening to prevent us from living life. We pull back when that flash of fear hits us and impoverish ourselves. Fear is the little death.

III. FROM FEAR TO FAITH

Jesus knows that we are like this, and his earthly ministry was filled with teaching about why the believer in him should trust, be at peace, and not fear. Over and over again, in all sorts of contexts, Jesus said: "Do not fear!" He also taught extensively about the uselessness and sinfulness of worry, because worry is the action of fear. Anxiety is the life condition of the fearful person.

Thank God that the person who trusts Jesus Christ does not need to live in worry, anxiety, and fear! Because of the promises of God we can live life abundantly and not in poverty of soul and spirit. Jesus taught this in the Sermon on the Mount: "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O you of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Mat. 6:25-34).

Provision for daily life needs is a key area for worry and fear for many people. How will we eat, provide housing, dress, pay insurance, and send kids to college? It is possible to get completely freaked out about these important matters. Jesus' word to us is: "Do not worry--do not fear. Your heavenly Father knows that you need these things." The great comfort for the believer is that we are not merely fending for ourselves. We work, sometimes very hard, to provide for these needs, but we can be at peace that God will provide.

One of the great secrets of the Linn family is that our family budget has only balanced one year out of the decades we have spent in full-time ministry. My wife, Barbara, has never worked outside the home because we both believe that God wants it to be that way for the benefit of family and church. Early in our ministry I worried a lot about our inability to balance our budget. After all, God called us into ministry, called us to our first church in Pearl River, and called Barbara to be a full-time homemaker and partner in ministry. Why couldn't I make it work?

At one point I got so worked up about it that I took a part-time job selling computers. That lasted for about ten months until it became clear how much damage was occurring to our family and ministry. That's the only year the family budget balanced but the cost was not worth it. So how do we do it? We asked God to provide, without knowing exactly how he would do it, and we chose to focus on the things he has commanded us to do. We made a conscious decision to move from fear to faith. That's Jesus advice to the worried and fearful believer: "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you" (Mat. 6:32-33). We have discovered these verses to be true. God has made it possible for us never to have had a day of debt in decades of ministry. We continue to marvel that this should be the case. Of course, this works partly because of several commitments we have made. We control spending, and the day that we cannot pay our bills is the day I immediately add a part-time job.

But what a blessing it has been not to live in fear and worry about financial matters related to life needs! That was the challenge as it came to Debbie in my opening story. She had to decide, in the middle of all sorts of questions about her future, to cast her cares upon God. She literally flung herself on God for his provision, not knowing how it would work out, and then she went on living life as a child of her heavenly Father. This is one of the greatest lessons any believer can ever learn.

This applies to things related to ministry. There was a time several years ago when God seemed to be leading us to restart the radio ministry. At the same moment, the church budget was stretched, we were raising funds for one of our members to go on a short-term missions trip, and we were also appealing to the church to help provide for one of our members to attend seminary. I was in a quandary for a while, and I got some feedback from people that revealed that a spirit of worry and fear had started to take root. Finally the Lord gave me a word about this: "Lean harder! You've been leaning on me, and this will work if you just lean harder."

So we launched the radio program with nothing in the bank. We committed ourselves not to air a single minute of unfunded air time, and I told the congregation not to give a penny of their regular church offering to radio. Within a short period of time we had enough funds to run the radio ministry for more than a year, the church pulled out of its financial slump, the missionary was sent, the seminary student was enrolled, and to God alone be the glory! Jesus said: "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Mat. 6:34).

Debbie had to learn to do the same thing with her health. She didn't know how she would go on, but she flung herself on God and began reaping wonderful blessing as a result. I met her in England on a study program which someone else had funded, working on her doctorate, and enjoying life. We never knew where Debbie was going to be. She'd turn up after a brief absence, we'd ask her where she was, and she'd say; "Oh, I was in Wales. Oh, I was in Covent Garden. Oh, I went to the Sutton-Hoo archaeological dig." I told her: "You do not look like a woman with an autoimmune disease!" She had moved from fear to faith.

IV. NEVER FORGOTTEN BY GOD

If God has promised to care for us, the worrisome question we face when bad things come is whether God has forgotten us! Jesus answered by reminding us of how God cares for other members of his creation: "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" (Mat. 6:26). The birds do not just sit on a branch and expect God to miraculously feed them. They are seeking food all the time. But God's provision is always there. He does not forget them from time to time and leave them to their own devices.

Where is God when things are bad or hard? Right there with you. He has not forgotten you. No one promised that there would be no hard things in life, in fact, God promised that there would be pain and toil. But he is always there, working in ways you cannot imagine, answering your prayers before you ask, and providing what you need as you focus on his kingdom.

One specific area in which believers need to move from fear to faith is giving. If we give to the church, will there be enough for us? If we live by that fear we would never give to the church. Then we face the challenge to give above our regular offering to the church in order to support missionaries who are taking the good news of Christ everywhere. How can we give above our regular offering when we are not sure how our finances will work out? God's promise to us is that if we seek his kingdom he will provide what we need. He challenges us to fling ourselves upon him for our provision and discover the wonder of living by faith rather than fear. I urge you to pray carefully about investing in God's kingdom in a major way, and I promise that God will never forget you.

V. CONCLUSION

God commanded the Israelites to launch out of slavery in Egypt and discover the blessing of the land of promise. God challenged them to move from fear to faith, and when they reached Mount Sinai in the third month after their miraculous departure he said this: "'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine...'" (Exodus 19:4-5). What a beautiful picture of how God cares for his people--he will bear us up on eagles' wings!

And what specifically did God do for Israel at that time? He gave them miraculous protection from their enemies, he had their enemies give them a fortune in gold, he provided food and water for them in the desert, he gave them the revelation of truth at Mount Sinai, and he gave them a godly leader. Most important, he gave them an opportunity for spiritual blessing beyond their wildest imagination. Most Israelites chose not to move from fear to faith, so they never went into the promised land.

But see the character of the God who never forgets his own, never leaves them to fend for themselves! He gives us the opportunity to live by faith, and the most wonderful blessings are in store for us when we do. Nothing is more certain than that God will catch us when we fling ourselves upon him. What are the challenges facing you? Finances? Health? Relationship issues? Ministry? You have not been forgotten. Choose faith and discover that God is prepared to bear you up on eagles' wings!

[The opening story is true so far as I learned it. (Debbie: Blessings on you!) --DBL]