From Fear to Faith

Life has a way of leading us through turbulent times often out of our control. The circumstances above were experienced by my family during God’s instruction for me to be still. Emotional, financial, physical, spiritual, and professional unrest fuels fear. Human nature tends to compartmentalize aspects of life, but the spiritual reality is that all things work together for God’s purpose to those who love Him. Satan preys on the tendency to compartmentalize our walk with God from work life, social life, and family life. Compartmentalizing puts self, not God, in control. With self or Flesh in control, God is far away “somewhere” and called upon only when we think we need Him. Like the disciples, we often fail to recognize His power or presence in the midst of difficulty even if we know He is there. Focusing on difficulties in these areas makes us consumed with the problem, not the problem solver. It fuels fear over faith. My difficulty described above is not a surprise in comparison to scripture. Let’s look at the context of God’s command to “be still and know that I am God” in Psalm 46:1-11.

…God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

When disaster strikes, the need of the moment usually requires anything but physical stillness. Recall the devastation Americans and perhaps you personally have experienced—terrorist attacks, hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and volcanoes tearing apart in minutes a lifetime of work, affecting our dearest loved ones and requiring sacrifice and devotion. During these times, our survival instincts spring into action in escape to safety, to prepare, rescue, or rebuild. In this passage, God demonstrates His understanding and communicates His empathy; but most important, He reveals His way to survive emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. “Be still and know that I am God.” Bad situations disrupt our physical surroundings and work to destroy us on every level. Psalm 46 is also consistent with our observation of Jesus’s demonstrated power over nature, the demonic, illness, and death. God continually reminds us of His sovereign control over difficulty and His great love for us. “Be still and know that I am God.”

In New Testament scripture, Jesus, the Word, appears in the flesh. The essence of God’s truth proclaimed in Psalm 46 is revealed by Jesus in the early miracles in Mark. Though we do not have the benefit of Jesus among us in physical form, we have His Spirit in us and at work around us—His power is at work. Just as the disciples were hardened to comprehend the significance of Jesus’s power and how it revealed God’s will, we can be hardened to comprehend the Spirit’s power at work or its significance to reveal God’s will. This is especially difficult when circumstances seem to contradict His instruction as in my described situation above.

This passage speaks of past, present—and future—natural disasters as a reality beyond our control, and it speaks of God’s eternal power: “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved” (emphasis added). In the midst of unrest and earthly disturbances, God’s heavenly, spiritual realm is not moved. God’s love is constant. His power is certain. I Am is I Am, always. When surrounded by physical unrest and chaos, there is an eternal constant—His power. Let’s compare this excerpt to John’s description of heaven in Revelation 22:1–3.

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

While describing a cursed earth, the psalmist also reveals God’s deliverance from the curse. As we continue this study, we must recognize what these passages reveal: there are always spiritual realities superseding the physical visibilities, and they offer hope. Hope strengthens our resolve to persevere and leads to peace that postures us to overcome hardened hearts. When God tells us to “Be still,” it is more often than not in times that require physical busyness. His command may in fact want the physical busyness to slow down or halt, but usually, the command is to calm the busyness of our minds consumed with fear, doubt, and unbelief more than faith. He commands us to be still so we can discern the spiritual reality amid the physical visibility.

While it is common for us to recognize signs of God’s hope in a disaster, what is less commonly understood or sought is God’s purpose for us through the difficulty. We may seek to understand why it happened physically without seeking why it happened spiritually, or what God intends spiritually in us. Often, as with the disciples, it is to reveal God’s way for removing hardened hearts. It is to reveal more of Himself.

Life is certain to lead us in directions we don’t want to go. Sometimes, that may be the result of our failures, weaknesses, or sin. Sometimes, it is the Spirit leading us into times of testing. All these can produce fear, but they can also strengthen faith because God is constant. The Spirit guides us in all truth. Spiritual realities supersede physical visibilities. Following Jesus’s example, we can learn to overcome and receive God’s power to fulfill our purpose. Just as Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days of fasting, prayer, and testing, so God leads us to be still before Him in a time and manner suited for His purposes and according to His specific calling for us.