Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
- Hebrews 11:1
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
- 2 Timothy 1:7
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners …
- Luke 4:18
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
- Psalm 91:2-4
“After a recent service at the church I pastor in Southern California, a young soldier who had just returned from Afghanistan wept as he asked me to pray for him. He feared that he might be losing his family.
“Might. That’s the word that’s haunting him. Our greatest fear is the conditional might—the threat of what might happen. Fear trades in the market of possibility. Or even impossibility—for fear is the tyrant of the imagination. It imposes itself upon us from the shadows, from its hazy mirror of maybe.
“There’s no question about it: we live in a world that is often a scary place to be. When we face these fears that prompt us to pull the covers over our heads and retreat from the world, what will we put our hope in? Will we exert our energy in wishful thinking, crossing our fingers that our circumstances will change? Will we hold our breath in the hope that luck will go our way this time?
“Biblical hope is not wishful thinking. It’s not a lucky chance. It’s not ungrounded optimism. No, it’s a rock-solid belief in the character of God. That’s not to say we are guaranteed rosebushes without thorns or a life free from tragedy or disaster. But because we know that God is all-knowing and all-powerful and for us, we can face down our fears and trust the outcome of our circumstances to Him.”
- Dr. David Jeremiah, Hope, Living Fearlessly in a Scary World
“There is wishful thinking in Hell as well as on Earth.”
- C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
I do not know if I can fully agree with the C.S. Lewis quote, but then it is a senior demon, Screwtape, writing to his nephew, an apprentice demon named Wormwood. I was shocked by a theologian’s comment a couple of years ago who stated that those consigned to Hell for eternity will continue to be true to their character and continue to curse God in Hell. They will continue to be unrepentant. I have grown to think that as well. In reading Revelation, regardless of the warnings, they cursed God.
But my point in including the C.S. Lewis comment is that Dr. David Jeremiah states in his last paragraph that is quoted above that biblical hope is NOT wishful thinking. We cannot rely on luck. Our optimism is in the character of God Himself. He promised us that He would take care of us. We only need to trust in Him.
We spend much too much time worrying. When we think of fear, we think of that uncontrolled feeling that jangles our nerves and puts everything on a razor’s edge. Fear could be that point where our heart seems to stop for a moment, but worrying is probably a fear level that consumes more of our time.
Another C.S. Lewis quote is one about how the future arrives at a rate of sixty minutes every hour, no matter who we are. But I like another quote of his about the future also. The one about how the future when the present touches eternity. But enough of misquoting someone.
Dr. Jeremiah talks of the word “might.” That is looking to the future and not seeing God’s hand in it. Yes, the might could happen, but we believe in a God who fulfills His promises. He also loves us. Something might happen that is unpleasant, but God will even make that to be for our good is we love the Lord.
The psychiatrists out there try to help us resolve what is irrational fear, but there is room for a lot of rational fear these days. As Dr. Jeremiah’s book says, we live in a scary world.
But we can turn that fear over to God and not let fear rule our lives. God can rule our lives and see us through to that eternity that my misquote of C.S. Lewis mentioned.
Dr. Jeremiah concludes his introduction with a statement that his prayer is that we will grow in the conviction that God is the answer when facing all our fears.
Lord, strengthen me. Help me to face the fears in my own life. Help me encourage others in doing the same. Lord, we lay our “might,” our “maybe,” and our “what if” fears at the foot of the cross and accept Your will in our lives. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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