Fear Not! Have Faith In God’s Great Power

 

The Bible shows us that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. This is especially true surrounding the birth of Christ. We can take heart from the example of those involved in Christ’s birth that if God calls us on a special mission, we need not fear. Instead, we must have faith in His infinite power, which is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians.12:9). Without Him, we can do nothing, but with Him, all things are possible (John 15:5; Mark 10:27).

Sometimes He lets us go through trials, tribulations, doubts and fears to realize how completely we depend on Him (Philippians 4:13). If we stop depending on our flesh and turn it all over to Him, resting in His grace, His power, and His will, He will use us to accomplish great things to His glory (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). But if we are fearful or doubtful, that is a sin for which He must chastise us, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

As born-again believers, having placed our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), we have no reason to fear. God is always with us (Hebrews 13:5), protecting us from all our enemies, physical and spiritual (Romans 8:31). He has won the victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:57); He prepares us for the battle; and our home is with Him in Heaven (Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 10:25; Isaiah 41:10; Joel 2:21).

In Scripture, God said “Fear not” to those He had called on a special mission for which it would be natural to be afraid in the flesh. Usually these words are spoken by an angel, or sometimes by God Himself, as when God promised to make Abram the father of a very great nation (Genesis 15:1), and to spare Ishmael’s life and to make him the father of a rival nation (Genesis 21:17).

In the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, angels appeared to several of those most involved -- Zacharias, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds -- and told them to “Fear not!” It is a natural reaction to fear in the presence of one whom we recognize to be an angel, for they are holy and we are not, and we may fear bad news, punishment or even imminent death.

Like Abraham and Sarah, Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth had been faithful to obey and serve God, yet they had no children. Having no child in those days was a great cause for sorrow and grief, as there was no heir -- no one to carry on Zacharias’s calling as a high priest. Women were defined by their role in raising children, and every Hebrew woman in that day dreamed of being the one who would give birth to the promised Messiah (Isaiah 9: 2,6-7).

The angel appeared to Zacharias while he was alone in the Holy of Holies performing his priestly duties, and told him to “Fear not.”  At a very old age, Elisabeth would give birth to John the Baptist (Luke 1: 5-13) to show the way to Christ. How often might angels be around us, trying to tell us something or asking us to do something for God, or even ministering to us, without our being aware of it?  (Hebrews 1:14).

Even though the angel brings good news, Zacharias is afraid, which is the typical reaction of those recorded in Scripture as being visited by angels. These messengers of God reflect His holiness and command respect and fear of the Lord by sinful man.

Zacharias had not been afraid to pray for what seemed impossible in the natural, and God answered that prayer far beyond what they could imagine. Not only would they have a son, but one who was highly respected by Jesus the Messiah Himself (Matthew 11:11).and who would turn many to the Lord (Luke 1:16)

If we have faith, He always answers our prayers beyond our wildest dreams! (Luke 1:14-15; Ephesians 3:20). Zacharias and Elisabeth are a perfect example of never losing hope, never stopping to pray the prayer that is most dear to your heart even though it seems God doesn’t hear it, because He will do what is best in His perfect timing. The special blessing God gave this couple echoes His fulfilled promise to Abraham and Sarah, who were old and barren and yet parented a very special child: Isaac, who became the progenitor of the great nation of Israel.

The angel said that Zacharias and Elisabeth’ son John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before birth (Luke 1:15). Killing an unborn child is therefore murder, because John’s body was already the temple of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) even before he was born.

John’s abstaining totally from alcohol and being great in the Lord’s sight are mentioned together (John 11:11,18), as a result of him being filled with the Holy Spirit even before birth. Alcohol and the Holy Spirit don’t mix, as you can’t be Spirit-filled and drinking alcohol at the same time (Ephesians 5:18).

John’s role would be that of a prophet, calling God’s people to repentance and obedience, to soften their hearts to hear Christ’s message (Luke 1:16-17). Because he was Spirit-filled, he was a great soul-winner.

Despite Zacharias’ lifetime of priestly service, and being described as “blameless,” he doubts the angel’s news of John’s birth. He lacks the faith to accept that God can accomplish this miracle in His perfect timing (v. 18).   

Because of Zacharias’ unbelief, the angel Gabriel told him that he would be mute until the birth, as if God would prevent him from voicing his unbelief (v.19-20), and also to strengthen his faith. But even without speech he was able to be a testimony of God’s goodness and power (v. 21-22).

His time as a priest was now over, and he turned his full attention to God’s new direction for his life (v. 23). We need to be responsive to God’s will and recognize when He has a new plan for our life, even if it means giving up a ministry or position of honor.

God’s promise, delivered through the angel Gabriel, came to pass and Elisabeth became pregnant (v. 24). She hid herself for five months (v. 25), perhaps because she wanted to be alone with God to meditate on His goodness, to thank Him, to worship Him, and to seek His direction for her new role as mother of John the Baptist.

When God says “Fear not,” we can trust Him to equip us for the mission He has given us and have faith that He will keep His promises!

© 2013 Laurie Collett
Reposted from the archives

Vertigo

Wellcome Images 2018

 

A few nights ago I awoke from a sound sleep and got out of bed, when I suddenly fell backward, as if a tsunami had flooded over me, swept me away in its whirling fury, and pinned me helpless against the mattress.

Thankfully, it subsided in about 30 seconds, but when I cautiously struggled to my feet and began to walk, I found myself veering off to the left. That also soon resolved but left me feeling shaken and unsteady.

As a retired neurologist, I began to diagnose myself and realized I had no other symptoms of stroke, was too old for new onset multiple sclerosis (MS), and had no fever or other symptoms of viral infection. However, the left side of my head was congested, which I sometimes experience in the morning because of allergies, and the left side of my neck was sore, also not unusual as my husband and I have been strenuously rehearsing our latest Theatre Arts dance with overhead lifts and drops.

So I reasoned that sinus pressure and neck muscle spasm had brought on the vertigo by sending faulty signals to the system that maintains balance and equilibrium. I used an herbal nasal spray and anti-inflammatory medication with some relief of the head and neck symptoms. We went to morning practice as usual, but when I attempted to get up after lying down on the floor to stretch, the tsunami returned, again rendering me helpless in its swirling current.

Discouraged and unable to practice, we returned home. I realized that I must have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, a common and seldom serious condition in which a calcium deposit, called an otolith, dislodges from its usual position in the innermost canal of the inner ear and escapes to the outermost canal, where it causes a false sense of movement. The vertigo usually comes on suddenly after a period of lying down, particularly when turning the head to the affected side and arising quickly, or from any sudden movement or positional change.

Vertigo is a curse for anyone. For a female Theatre Arts dancer, it is the kiss of death, as this dance form involves spins, lifts, drops, and sudden changes of position from standing to being suspended horizontally over the partner’s head or even held upside down – often while spinning. Any momentary lapse in balance or spatial awareness could result in a disastrous fall from overhead and cause serious injury.

I prayed that the symptoms would just disappear, but in case they didn’t, I planned to try a maneuver known as the Epley maneuver, designed to guide the otolith back into the innermost canal of the inner ear. The next morning, a repeat bout of vertigo upon arising led me to test this plan. With my husband’s help, I went through a series of rapid position changes, which brought on more dizziness, alternating with rest periods on the bed.

When the maneuver was completed, I had no more vertigo, but I felt uneasy, unsettled, and dissociated from my surroundings. After breakfast, coffee, and much prayer, we decided to attempt rehearsing again. I found that by focusing out in the distance and being hypervigilant about my balance, there was no vertigo, despite the spins, drops, lifts, and position changes. Apparently these all happened too quickly to give the otolith sufficient time to dislodge from its normal position. The following day, I had no symptoms, nor have I had any since. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness (Psalm 89:8) and for answered prayer!

Unexpected blessings from this harrowing encounter were the knowledge of how to deal with this in the future if it were ever to recur, perhaps closer to a performance setting when I might not have the luxury of being able to rest or take a break, or the time or Internet access to research how to do the Epley maneuver.

An even greater blessing was the new-found gratitude in being able to do what I sometimes take for granted – not just complex, challenging dance moves, but even simple actions like getting out of bed or walking without literally bouncing off the wall. It reminded me of recovering from the pneumonia I had several years ago, and being thankful just to be able to breathe freely, sleep quietly without coughing, and walk across a room without getting short of breath.

Sometimes God allows incidents like these into our lives to remind us of our total dependence on Him (John 15:5) and thankfulness for every move we make and every breath we take (Acts 17:28). As Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost for His Highest, “It is the sick person who really knows what health is.” The logical extension is that it is only the person who knows he is a sinner deserving eternal punishment in hell who can receive God’s free gift of eternal life in Heaven (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

Minimizing the vertigo by directing my gaze upward and outward reminded me to always keep my focus on Jesus and His kingdom, particularly when encountering the turbulence of life, and to look up (Luke 21:28), for our redemption through the Rapture is close at hand!

This episode of vertigo also reminded me that sometimes He even allows our lives to be turned upside down or set spinning, all for our ultimate good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

Before we can be saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), we must come to the end of ourselves, which may feel like a total upheaval of all we know and believe.

The early church, first known as Christians, or ‘the Way,” turned the world upside down by spreading the truth and Word of their Savior Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26; 22:4). His crucifixion was marked by extraordinary events, including the sky turning black at midday, a great earthquake, the dead arising from their graves, and the thick, impenetrable veil of the temple tearing from top to bottom (Matthew 27:45-54; 28:2), symbolizing God in the flesh coming from Heaven to earth (John 1:1-14) to end the separation of Holy God from sinful man (Romans 5:10). His resurrection was the single most significant, paradigm-shifting event of all time.

Even His teachings seem filled with paradox that set conventional wisdom on its head. We must lose our life to save it (Matthew 16:25). He who is first will be last, and he who is last will be first (Matthew 20:16). The meek shall inherit the earth, and the poor shall inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3-5).

With God’s infinite power (Genesis 35:11), far exceeding that of any tsunami, whether real or perceived, the blind shall see, the lame shall leap, and the dead shall live again (John 3:16) in Him! Every molecule in our earthly body shall be rearranged in the twinkling of an eye as He transforms us into our glorified body (1 Corinthians 15:52) that will never age, die, or experience pain, sorrow or sin! Even the earth will be burned with heat so intense (2 Peter 3:10) that it transforms its molecular structure into the New Jerusalem!

Praise God that only He can turn things completely around and upside down and make them completely new (2 Corinthians 5:17), and that He even gives us earthly reminders of what is to come when He returns for His children!  

© 2021 Laurie Collett