We Weren't Prepared

When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the Mediterranean coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they lost heart and were paralyzed with fear because of them. [Joshua 5.1]

Fear paralyzes. Those who embrace fear lose heart.

I wrote a few years back that Fear Marks The Spot. The meaning behind this title was that any time we fear, we have a clear indication of what we need to do. We need not fear - so, rather than avoiding or fleeing from that which invokes fear, we should aggressively attack it.

Now, the question arises, how do we attack something that has paralyzed us? That answer is simple: we can't. What we must understand is that fear has a growing affect on its victims - it is usually gradual in its grip. So, the moment we first begin to experience fear is the window of opportunity to attack it. If we wait too long, we will be paralyzed by it. We simply must overcome fear at its first appearance.

I always like the funny videos where a person attempts to scare another person and gets an immediate and precise punch in the face instead. You see, being scared, unsettling as it may initially be, is only a precursor to fear. It is an invitation, if you will, to either act or become paralyzed with fear.

Here is an interesting thought. One will respond most accurately to what one has meditated on. If we meditate on fear (instead of acting against it), it paralyzes us. If however, we meditate on the Word of God - it's message of love - as obedient preparation for the unknown, we will respond to fear with that "immediate and precise punch in its face." It doesn't mean we aren't initially surprised - or even scared by fear, but it means we respond the way we have trained! Love overcomes fear.

Dread is meditating on fear. Dread is the onset of fear's paralysis.

I can only think at this point of all the people whose lives have been paralyzed by COVID-19 over the last year. Sadly, the distinction between God's people and the world's people is not nearly as clear as it should be. I guess that's what we get for believing the science instead of believing God.

Father, forgive us for allowing ourselves to become paralyzed by fear. Forgive us for not being saturated with Your Word - Your love - and have largely missed the opportunity to overcome fear with love. We weren't prepared.