Faith and Trepidation - Part Two

Faith and Trepidation – Part Two

Friends of mine offer FEAR as two acronyms: (1) Forget everything and run and (2) False evidence appearing real.  Fear’s irrationality and insidiousness motivates its victims to bury their heads in sands of denial and paralysis.  It equally magnifies feelings and confuses them with facts.  Fear, a persistent negative outlook upon life’s circumstances, permeates mind and heart.  A person living with fear possesses an unsettled mind and troubled heart.  He expects the worse in each scenario.  He questions whether he can trust God.  As he lacks peace of mind and heart, he waits for the next unfortunate outcome; as a positive one is unimaginable.  He fears God will fail him.  Priding himself in being an intellectual skeptic and realist, he refuses to put his faith in God.  He imprisons himself within the valley of the shadow of death, seeing decay and decomposition all around him.

Trepidation appears normal in the life of a genuine disciple as it is difficult to be still and wait on God.  My family and I survived Super Storm Sandy which ravaged the Northeastern region of the United States on 29 October 2012. Though we prepared for the storm by purchasing food, non perishable items, flashlights, batteries, candles, blankets and other essential supplies, we sat in trepidation listening to hurricane force winds and battering torrential rains.  We wondered whether we would lose electricity.  We feared the winds might break windows.  We prayed that trees would not crash into the house.  We hoped lightning would not cause spontaneous fires.  We wished power lines would remain intact thereby preventing any random electrocutions.  Our trepidation during that natural disaster, the second worst storm in the history of the United States, resembles daily angst.  Though they prepare for positive outcomes and proceed to with their daily affairs, many people harbor a level of trepidation about whether they are safe.  They ask silently whether Almighty God will protect them from unforeseeable danger. 

Mature faith rarely progresses in a straight line.  Spiritual growth happens in life’s daily furnace as experiences, mysteries and lessons burn away dross of a disciple’s character.  As he zigzags imperfectly through daily challenges and adversities, he discovers genuine faith in Almighty God as his Infinite Provision, Protection and Intelligence.  Trials and tribulations cultivate humility within him as he learns to rely steadfastly upon God’s goodness.  Practice of spiritual disciplines yields a disciple’s attentiveness to God’s faithfulness.  As he experiences change of natural seasons, he realizes greater appreciation for God’s trustworthiness throughout seasons of his personal life.  Complexity, confusion and challenge offer greater faith as he benefits from God’s amazing grace.  Though feelings of trepidation fluctuate, he experiences new joys and mysteries because he holds unswervingly to God’s unchanging hand.

Abraham, the father of faith and many nations, demonstrates ideally how to have faith despite daily interruptions of trepidations.  God promises Abraham an heir from his own loins though he is one hundred years old and his wife, Sarah, is ninety years old.  Physically, it seems impossible for God to accomplish this feat.  Still, Abraham believes God possesses power to manipulate natural law to accomplish His purpose.  Relying upon God’s enduring faithfulness from His initial pledge when He instructs Abraham to leave the Ur of the Chaldeans.  Abraham trusts God to keep any promise He makes.  As a consequence, Abraham’s heart leaps with joy and his mind explodes with excitement as he realizes God will give a natural heir, to him.  Understandably, as the promises lingers, Abraham’s emotions shift from enthusiasm to trepidation.  Abraham does not waver in doubt and unbelief because God’s previous faithfulness steadfastly persuades him that God is able to do what He promises.  His impatience is a type of trepidation; it counteracts its effects, Abraham dwells upon God’s character and trustworthiness.  Countless examples of God’s unquestioned reliability flood his consciousness and memories.  From Lot’s rescue from the burning sulfur of Sodom and Gomorrah to the preservation of Sarah’s honor to the bounty of Abraham’s material, agricultural and geographical acquisition, he knows he can trust God’s word. 

To conquer their collective trepidation about the reliability of the resurrection of the Lord, Paul encourages the Church at Corinth to “be steadfast, immovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:17)  In practical terms, Paul’s admonition means “take the next right step.”  For contemporary disciples who suffer with trepidation as they wait upon God’s deliverance and revelation, faithfully practicing spiritual disciplines negates angst and fears.  It is hard to be still and rely genuinely upon God.  Every impulse towards self-reliant and self-aggrandizing behavior arises.  Fueled by self-centered fears and self-seeking motives, these instincts eventuate in self-sabotage.  As we evaluate our unvarnished motives, we often discover longstanding patterns of thought in consciousness and character that clash with God’s will.  A fear that these egotistical impulses will remain insatiate is the primary causes of trepidation.  As we pray, affirm and meditate upon the Word of God, we find clarity as to the next right steps towards God’s purpose and will.  Additionally, exercise, journaling, reading and study are means of discerning the next right step. Adherence to these spiritual disciplines deadens trepidation.  Moreover, faithful practices of spiritual graces are the means of maturity in faith and character.

Acceptance of life on its terms as it evolves daily is the surest means of eradicating trepidation.  Realizing that God does not allow anything to happen out of order equals acceptance.  As the Creator of the Universe, God does not abandon us to chaotic, random and dangerous forces.  He permits whatever happens.  However regrettable many experiences may be, they occur within God’s permissive and circumstantial will.  Easily, negative experiences overwhelm us as we ponder God’s silence and inactivity.  In contrast, we learn from every situation.  We further commit to trusting God as we know He orchestrates suffering, pain and misfortunate toward redemptive purposes.  In each experience, we ask “What do I need to know?”  Answering that question usually resolves any trepidation; it refocuses our mind and yields clarity of purpose.