No Fear

The sky moved swiftly with layers of dark, thick, smooth clouds. Soon the sirens started blaring, and the air began to appear an eerie yellow color. Maybe that's the color of humidity because it was so thick you could feel it in your nostrils. 

Spring time in Arkansas means tornado weather. This kind of weather would make most people take cover as they should, but many of the neighbors at the apartment complex were outside, heads tilted back and mouths open, staring into the sky, hoping yet not hoping to see some action. 

"Are you guys not afraid?" Some people yelled at us like we were crazy because we were standing on the balcony and watching the sky instead of taking cover in the bathtub and watching the weather radar. 

And the truth is we were not afraid. "I just don't feel any fear. Like none at all," my friend said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, but Arkansans are just used to it. That's why you have no fear," some will say. But in reality, the Arkansans are the ones who have seen the frightening power of tornados up close. We have been to disaster relief areas that we recognize. We haven't just seen the pictures on the news, we have seen the devastation with our own eyes. We have seen the foundations of houses with everything else blown clean off. We have seen gigantic pieces of metal sticking out of the ground like creepy statues and cars tossed into fields like toys. And sometimes we know the people whose lives were lost. We of all people should be the ones most afraid of tornados because we have personally experienced their power. 

So fearlessness does not come from either being familiar or being naive. Maybe it comes from something deeper. 

I was asked this question this week: How has the presence of Jesus helped you overcome fear? I pondered my answer, just to make sure I actually thought about it and wasn't just giving the expected answer. Why does the presence of Jesus overcome our fears? 

Perhaps it is because of the very great and precious promises to which we hold fast, even when the winds blow all around us. These promises we also know to be true by experience. Not because we have heard it at church, but because we have experienced it personally. Not because we have read it in the Bible or heard other people tell stories about it, but because we have seen these promises come true with our very own eyes, and we personally know the one who makes the promises with his own mouth. 

Paalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." 

"Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain and a path for the thunderstorm?" God said to Job (Job 38:25), implying that he alone has authority over creation. 

All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to the creator God, the king of the universe. He rules and reigns over the earth, all it's peoples, and all it's activity. 

At the same time as we believe that God is sovereign over it all, we also believe that Jesus is present with us in the storms that we face, just like he was present with the disciples when they went through a storm. After they saw the storm and how Jesus handled it, they said, "Even the winds and waves obey him!"

And there are these beautiful promises from the Psalms:

"You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." (32:7)

"I will not fear for you are with me." (23:4)

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea." (46:1-2)

When we know our shepherd, we know that we are safe in his hands. We believe that he is in control, and so his presence brings us a sigh of relief because we no longer have to depend on our frail selves. We rely completely on him with the knowledge that he will take good care of us. That's why Jesus' presence overcomes fear. Fear just doesn't make sense when you know his power, his faithfulness, and his goodness.

Ultimately, when you think about it, the absolute worst thing that can happen in a storm like that is death. And even death has no hold on those who know Christ. Paul wrote, "To live is Christ and to die is gain." And if to die is gain, then the worst that can happen is gain. 

So we are free to stand on the balcony and watch the storm clouds roll in without fear of danger, devastation, or what may happen next. We know that he holds the storm in his hand, and he holds us securely, too. And when the time comes to take shelter, we will run to the basement or the bathtub, yet we ultimately find refuge in the shadow of his wings.