“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God.” Isaiah 41:10
Dear Ones:
What is the cause of fear and anxiety? Probably we can simplify the answer by mentioning two causes, the first being that of “loss,” and the second, begin that of “suffering.” With regard to both, the Lord Jesus comes to our aid, to help and enable us to understand His ways and His provision. If we would live without fear, and in the expectancy of His provision and blessing, we must understand His ways, His thoughts on the matter. It all begins with what He IS, and what we are in the context of a fallen world.
In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 16, the Lord Jesus makes a very clear, but undeniably strong statement: “For whosoever will SAVE his life shall lose it: and whosoever will LOSE his life for my sake shall find it.” (v.25) What does He mean by this, and why would He be so specific about it? Ever since Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, man has been plagued with the tyrant of “self,” unveiled by self-preoccupation, self-absorption, and self dominance. It was in the moment when there was the realization of the Lord’s words, “…for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,” (Gen. 2:17), that this tyrant of self was born. This “self” manifested itself first by self-consciousness, shame, and fear. It is to this condition and attitude that the Lord Jesus addresses these words in Matthew. Adam’s life was at one time completely God-centered, God controlled, and God satisfying, complete. Since the Fall, man has been plagued by an emptiness of heart and soul, ever seeking to answer the need for security and permanent satisfaction, by various means of his own devising. This is what is called by Christ to be his “life.” It is the sum total of all that fallen, sinful man, thinks and does, that is independent of God, in order to answer and meet the basic needs of his heart and soul. The Lord Jesus knows that all of man’s efforts are temporal, ephemeral. In stark contrast, that which Jesus proposes is eternal. But how does the issue of fear and anxiety enter in? And how is it to be addressed?
The answer is found in Jesus’ use of two words: “save” and “lose.” Man is ever clinging to the temporal to meet his need of security and satisfaction. Jesus, on the other hand, is ever declaring that God is the only eternal security, for He is not only our Savior, but our Constant Keeper. Christ is also our satisfaction, as Jesus ever speaks of living water given to the thirsty soul, and the peace, or rest, that He alone can, and will give to the believer. Again, that which man “thinks” and “does” to meet his own need is only temporal in comparison to that which Christ gives, eternal security and satisfaction,…eternal LIFE. One cannot have the eternal without “losing,” and not seeking to “save” that which is destined to fail, and passing away. To know liberty from fear and anxiety is to turn away from the “ways and means” of men, to surrender one’s life to Christ for time and eternity. He will then give to the believer, not only eternal Life, but His courage, His strength, and His peace…a peace that passes understanding.
Dear Father, save us from hoping in that which cannot meet the needs of the heart and soul. Give us grace to look only to the ever-lasting, and sufficient Christ, for whom NOTHING is impossible. Fill us with Thy blessed hope and expectation in the realization and experience of this LIFE eternal, which IS our security and satisfaction. We thank Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad