3 Steps to Conquering Our Fears in Uncertain Times

Have you tried taking the lift or elevator in total darkness?

I posted on FB a video that demonstrates the experience.

What would make us venture to do it is the assurance that at the end of the ride, or when we reach the floor we’ve chosen, we’re confident that the doors will open, and then you step out into the light.

Also, we are confident the elevator ride won’t last long.

There are situations in life where we don’t have a choice. We were pushed into it.

You don’t know what’s going on, you’re confused, everything seems dark, and you don’t have anything except that the Lord God is with you.

You’re confident that He is there to guide you through your deepest and darkest valley.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a lot of fear in many of us.

Yes, we are pushed into lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The Covid-19 lockdown has taken us into a ride, probably a remarkable and memorable journey of our lifetime.

However, unlike riding the lift, we aren’t in control this time.

That makes it more fearful.

We’re so used to being in control of our lives that when situations come where we can’t find or there are no physical control buttons we can push, we become fearful.

And the longer we aren’t in control, the more fearful we become, panic would slowly start to build up.

Perhaps we believe in the Almighty God, go to church every Sunday, and do charitable acts, but deep inside, and in reality, we are still in control.

Despite our profession of faith, we love to be in control.

We are used to coming up with quick solutions to any problem that may arise, except for significant issues that are “beyond our control.”

The Covid-19 pandemic is clearly showing humankind that we aren’t in control.

Because we have been choosing to control minor problems, and we have been opting to leave the significant issues to God, we have not built that faith and confidence in God’s Almighty power.

We are afraid because we are not used to seeing the Mighty Hand of God moving and doing in the minor aspect of our lives.

Now, because we aren’t used to allowing the Lord God to be in control of small things in our lives, we are fearful and doubtful whether or not He will deliver us from Covid-19.

Three steps to conquer fear in this lockdown situation.

Friends, since we cannot do anything about our situation, adding fear and anxiety to it will not help.

I have three steps to offer you as we go through this pandemic season.

First, let us accept in humility the reality that we are not in control of our lives.

As I’ve mentioned, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that we are not in control. Accept humility that we are not in control of even the most minor aspect of our lives.

Let us ask for forgiveness for always taking over and not allowing that “mustard seed of faith” grow in our lives.

Let us quit looking for “man-made control buttons,” for there is none. Our material things can’t save us.

Psalm 27 begins with great confidence declaring the LORD as the light, salvation, and stronghold.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war breaks out against me,
    even then, I will be confident.

What a great assurance that we have the LORD GOD Almighty as our light, salvation, and stronghold.

Second, we need to express our absolute dependence on the LORD.

These uncertain times are allowing us to trust God alone. Now is the time to put Him as our primary and sole Helper.

Take comfort in His Almighty Sovereign power. He is in control.

Yes, let us take every trial and calamitous event as opportunities to petition the LORD’s help and plead for His intervention.

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

Third, trust wholeheartedly the Almighty Sovereign God

Trust, wholehearted trust is crucial in our faith. Many Christians are caught up in paying lip service in their faith.

It’s easy to say I have faith in God, but do we really trust Him and trust Him wholeheartedly?

Let me explain more through the article “Faith vs. Trust” that Henry M. Morris IV wrote (Henry, 2016)

Many believers today often confuse having faith in God with trusting in God.

Faith is a noun. It is something you have or possess, a “substance” or “evidence” of things both hoped for and not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith in God is the confident belief that He is the sovereign Creator of all things and that He can and will do what He claims.

Trust, on the other hand, is a verb. It is something you do or act upon. Faith always comes first, but trust is never guaranteed. It is a deliberate choice, a deliberate action, and can only grow out of your faith.

There is a vast difference between faith and trust, and the story of Charles Blondin and Harry Colcord provides an excellent illustration.

Blondin was the foremost tightrope walker of his time. He gained worldwide fame in 1859 as the first person to cross Niagara Falls. Colcord was his friend and manager. A cable made entirely of hemp, 1,300 feet long and two inches in diameter was wound around an oak tree on the American side, while the other end was ferried across the Niagara River and secured to a Canadian rock.

To limit swaying, Colcord had stabilizing guy ropes affixed at 20-foot intervals to anchors on both banks—except for 50 unreachable feet in the center, which sagged and swayed dangerously. Thanks to Colcord’s savvy marketing, tens of thousands of spectators gathered for the spectacle. Gamblers took bets on whether Blondin would fall and die, and vendors hawked everything from lemonade to liquor.

Shortly before 5:00 p.m. on June 30, 1859, Blondin started his slow walk from the American side. Once past the center section, he broke into a run! After a brief rest, he started back again, but this time toting a box camera on his back.

Balancing precariously near the middle, Blondin carefully set up the camera and snapped a picture of the crowd. Then he repacked his burden and continued the rest of the way. The entire round trip took 23 minutes. Once safely back on American soil, Blondin immediately announced a series of encore performances, each more daring than the last. The press ate it up.

Over several weeks, Blondin walked backward, blindfolded, backflipped, pushed a wheelbarrow, and even cooked an omelet during one of many trips across the rope. He had faith he could accomplish these feats, but he also trusted his abilities to complete them.

The spectators, on the other hand, only had faith—a difference seen in Blondin’s daring walk in August 1859.

After he had crossed to the Canadian side, the crowd was horrified as Blondin reappeared on the rope with his manager, Harry Colcord, clinging to his back. A few guy ropes snapped during their transit, but Blondin never wavered and safely made the crossing. It was later reported that Blondin told his manager, “Look up, Harry…you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin. Until I clear this place, be a part of me, mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself.”

This is the difference between faith and trust. The spectators had faith in Blondin and believed in his abilities. But only Colcord trusted him enough to climb on his back and allow him to carry him across.

Psalm 27 concludes with these two verses:

¹³ I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

A big part in proving our TRUST, a wholehearted trust in the LORD, is our willingness to WAIT FOR THE LORD.

Let us WAIT PATIENTLY for the LORD because He is Sovereign and in control, and we depend absolutely on Him alone.

Citation:

• Henry M. Morris IV. 2016. Faith vs. Trust. Acts & Facts. 45 (8).
• “Charles Blondin carrying Colcord on a tightrope” by the original uploader was Bishonen at English Wikipedia. – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Ludmiła Pilecka using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5213459

NOTE: From a short blog post I wrote on 28 March 2020, I expanded this post into a whole sermon that I delivered on 27th February 2022 at Oamaru Baptist Church.