When Fear Comes Knocking

The quiver in his voice told me that the words he was speaking were real. He was scared. His fright was deeper than anything anyone could voice. He said, “Murray I can’t sleep. I don’t know what I will do. Where will I go? What will happen in the future? Everything that I have done has come crashing down.”

Fear is real. It comes as a monster from the dark places in our life. In fact it comes from places that we never knew existed. It is ugly and large and impossible to shove aside. When it enters the room there are no places to hide from it. Its dark, foreboding, and in heaviness he sits like an unwanted, miserable relative at a party. Nothing anyone does can make it happy.

When Fear is there “Happy” is shoved in the corner. At unusual moments Happy will sneak out with a small giggle. A small happiness will slip out before the glare of Fear kills it again.

I have watched Fear move in when a frightening report is shared by a doctor in a quiet office. At the moment of the revelation Fear brings forward the third chair and then leans on its victim’s shoulder. The heaviness of Fear’s lean is almost enough to smother its poor victim.

I have watched Fear take over a man’s life when his wife says he doesn’t love him anymore. It rides to work with him, it stifles the coffee break time and kills a happy lunchtime. It rides with him to a bar to find alcohol to quiet his violent shaking.

Fear has almost strangled the life from a young mom. She has no education and no opportunity for employment. She has two kids now. She was very young when she first became pregnant – that last year of high school. Now she has discovered that he has a younger girl pregnant now. He hasn’t been home for nights on end. He said it was his work needing help with inventory. It was another teenager, just out of school. The ugly fight that ensued was the end. He is gone. He has the car. He has his few clothes and she has nothing. Nothing but her new room mate Fear.

A week or so back, I watched the silly, old movie entitled “Ghost Busters”. You likely remember the polyester, sideburn movie that had three unlikely heroes with back pack machines on. They moved into areas of the city to extract Ghosts that were haunting people’s lives and houses. With highly technical machinery they were able to suck all the bad stuff out of houses and keep them contained in a large vault for Ghosts. They took the bad stuff away and made every body feel better. The music and lyrics still ring in my head, “Who ya gonna call?” Then on mass everyone calls out “Ghost Busters!”

Oh if only I could join the Ghost Busters team and suck out the poison of Fear. If I had a Big Super Size Fear Vacuum that would extract all the ugliest stuff from each person’s life – I would be very successful – VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL.

I don’t have that ability unfortunately. But I have discovered a secret. The power that I have is in a Name. Through the writings of a very famous and powerful King I know that Name. King David wrote, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

That statement by King David has more than once stilled my worst encounter with Fear. It has helped me to know that God is there when nobody else cares.

Hearing the statement is like having a mom walk into a dark bedroom, with her son crying his eyes out in terror. Her soft voice and gentle touch is all that he needs, “Shish now… its okay… I am here with you now…everything will be alright.” The she snuggles her little boy under the covers and sits with him until he slips away again. Softly she brushes his forehead and wipes away the tears.

When Fear has tried his best methods to get my heart beating faster, my mouth dry, and my stomach ready to wretch its contents – God asks me to be quiet – and know that He is there…one big, powerful, loving, let go God… is whispering, “Shish now… its okay… I am here with you now…everything will be alright.”

As the young dad wept with me, I couldn’t do anything to help except turn him over to my God. We did pray and it seemed to hold back Fear’s onslaught. Last night he was a little better. Prayer does help.

The young mom has started school again. With help she will rebuild. Fear is not welcome any longer and gets ushered out when he comes knocking at her door. She told me when Fear does come and tries to force his way in, she calls out, “God can you get that for me?” and he does.

“Shish now… its okay… I am here with you now…everything will be alright.”

My hope today for you is that you will find some relief from Fear. Or if he comes knocking at your door this week – you will know better how to find help.

~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~