To fear or not to fear? That is the question.

"Fear" by Skogalfar

     Fear.  We are gripped by it.  Compelled to act through it.  And, as of recently, seem to be in a constant state of it.  And rightly so.  Countless people have died at the hands of terrorism.  I'm not just saying this as an American either.  I say this as a human being, a member of this earth.  Too many people have died at the hands of extremists.  Sadly, terrorism has come to a point where it's almost not even news anymore.  We are less and less shocked that there was a bombing, or a shooting, or a bomb threat, etc.  It's madness.
     And with this madness, our fear has led us to say some pretty outrageous things in response.  Things that we cannot take back.  Things that aren't pretty.  Things that border on the lines of racism.  Things that are full of hatred and anger.
     Even our leaders and politicians are even guilty of it.  The people we put in charge, the people we elected to protect our homes and our borders are controlled by fear.  There have been talks and pushes to register people based on religion or race.  And I have to admit, I entertained the idea for a bit.  Even tried to justify it.  Then I started thinking..."this is pretty reminiscent of that time when the Nazis made all the Jews wear a Star of David" and my heart sank into my chest.  It retreated even further when I thought back to my history class and remembered what we did to Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor.  But nothing hurt my heart as much as when I reflected on the words of Jesus.

You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'  But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.  If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ..."You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
(Matt 5.38-39, 43-45, emphasis mine)

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  ...But love your enemies, do good to them...then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
(Luke 6:27-28, 35-36, emphasis mine)

     As Pastor Tom Mercer always says, "Jesus was right about everything.  And when I say everything I mean: Every. Thing."  And we as God fearing, Bible reading, Jesus loving, Sabbath church going, Christian living people need to live it.  Period.  There is no gray area on this.  Are these terrorists our enemies?  Absolutely! and Jesus said we need to love them.  Are these terrorists killing people without any rhyme or reason and with an unparalleled fury?  Undoubtedly! and Jesus commands us to pray for them.  Are they hijacking our way of life, hiding in the shadows, perpetuating fear with chaos and destruction?  Yes! and Jesus says we need to turn the other cheek.

     We cannot claim to be followers of Jesus and not actually follow Him.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say to treat people with hostility, or malice.  In fact is says the opposite.  "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31).  Since terrorists are our neighbors, Biblically speaking, then that includes them too.  And do you know why Jesus said this?  Because God does not treat any of us like that.  God has every right to condemn us, hate us, and kill us because of our sins against Him...but He doesn't.  You know why?  Grace.  We do not deserve anything we have.  We don't deserve the air in our lungs, the clothes on our back, the love and friendships we enjoy, or even our next heartbeat.  We deserve death, for the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) and we all stand guilty.  But God showed us undeserved favor in the person of Jesus.
     Now, I know what you're thinking.  "But these people cannot get away with this!  Something has to be done!  They need to pay and we need to protect ourselves.  Are you saying we just do nothing?!?"  First of all, no.  That's not at all what I'm saying.  1 Timothy 5:8 says to provide for your family, and I think protection is something that needs to be provided.  So, by all means, take steps that directly ensure your family and your home are safe.  These things include buying food and water, stocking up on supplies, and maybe even a owning some guns.  Notice I said "directly".  Racism, hatred, prejudice, and segregation is not only NOT a solution, but it's un-Biblical, unjust, and would only fuel the fire.

"The Four Horsemen" by Yayashin 2012

     Secondly, we seem to be forgetting that vengeance solely belongs to Him, and Him alone.  Romans 12:19 says, "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord."  Psalm 94:1 states, "The LORD is a God who avenges.  O God who avenges, shine forth."  Deuteronomy 32:35 reads, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay.  In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."  Proverbs 24:29 says, "Do not say, "Ill do to them as they have done to me; I'll pay them back for what they did."  And the book of Hebrews 10:30 states, "For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."  
     The question then is simple.  Do you believe Him?  God says in His word that He is all powerful (Isa. 43:13, Jer. 32:27, Matt. 19:26, Job 42:1-2), all knowing (Ps. 147:4-5, Isa. 46:9-10, Job 21:22), all seeing (Heb. 4:13, Psalm 33:13 Job 28:24), and completely Just (2 Thes. 1:6, Heb. 6:10).  That means that He is strong enough to do something about it, and that His something is a lot more than you or I could ever do in a thousand lifetimes.  It means that He knows what is going on in our lives and knows exactly what we are going through.  It means that He sees our suffering, sees our pain, sees our struggles.  Furthermore, it means that He is not going to let these things go.  Something will be done and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.
     I sometimes feel that we as Christians only remember that God is love, or gracious, or merciful.  While they aren't weak traits, when things go sour and we are backed into a corner, we forget to turn to Him.  It's as if we forgot that God is also just, powerful, and protective of His people.  Maybe we do this because we can't merge these two ideas together in perfect harmony.  Therefore, we only see God as some forgiving teddy bear that just wants to hug and love on everyone.  As such, when the going gets tough we don't turn to the teddy bear, but instead roll up our sleeves and try to take matters into our own weak and limited hands.  We feel the need to take action and try to go it alone.  But, friends hear me on this.  God is all of those things perfectly wrapped up and seated on the throne!  Don't over look that!  It is true that God is all loving, but He also will not withhold His might hand from His enemies.  It is true that He is full of grace, but that grace is coupled with complete and perfect justice.  God's got this guys.  He really does.

     I am writing these words, still being convicted by His Holy Spirit.  To be honest, I am afraid of what is to come of our world.  I'm scared for the future, not only my own but also that of my young children.  I can't even imagine the world my son and daughter are going to live in...and that scares me.  A lot.  But, as a Christian who believes Jesus was right about everything, that God is all powerful, and that my eternity is secure, should I be afraid?  And the answer is no.
     Jesus tells us, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body..." (Matt. 10:28).  Read it for yourselves.  Jesus is telling us to not be afraid of anyone (i.e. - the terrorists) who murders, beheads, destroys, burns, etc. our bodies.  But, that sounds kind of...weird, doesn't it?  I imagine having a conversation with the Almighty, saying something like: "So, Jesus, You're telling me that we're supposed to just live our lives without having fear of being killed for our beliefs, our way of life?"  And He would lovingly respond, "That's exactly what I'm telling you."
     What's amazing is that if you really step back and understand the Gospel, then this crazy, weird statement actually makes sense!  God is telling us that we are (or can be) on the winning team.  Thats because when we fear God we recognize who is in control.  We realize that this life is a blip in eternity, one that has no tears, no hurt, no pain, and no sorrow.  We are then filled with a peace that only He can provide because we rest in knowing that we are secured by His love, His grace, His justice, His mercy, and ultimately protected by His mighty hand.  "Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15:55).  Let me put it another way.  If you were playing football, and knew with absolute certainty that at the end of the game your team would win, would really anything that happened in the game bother you?  Would you be worried if the QB threw a pick-6?  Or if your team was down by 17 with 4 minutes to go in the 4th?  Of course not!  That's how it is when you are His child.  We are going to win the game, we just don't know how much time is on the clock.
     Because we don't know how much time is left, that can cause some anxiety.  But the Bible tells us quite a few times to "fear not".  So, I propose that instead of all this hatred, all the racism, all the propaganda, all these destructive "solutions", all our acting on our fears and turning it into something unholy and dishonoring to God...

...we just obey God's word and trust Him.

Sound good?