Quarantine 2020 – Christians With Fear
March 29, 2020 6:00 p.m. Study

Fear is a natural thing. Fear is an emotion we feel for very good reason. Fear teaches us, sometimes through harsh lessons, what behaviors of our own we should avoid for fear of consequence.

Fear is healthy. Fear helps us to live our best and most fruitful life. Fear helps us to be humble when pride threatens. Fear helps to give us compassion for others.

Don’t mistake though – fear can just as easily be a liar. Fear can steal our joy, our security, and our contentment. Fear can turn our eyes from God, and cause us to try to fix things on our own, just like Peter as he began to sink into the water when he took his eyes off of Jesus.

FDR famously said “The Only Thing We have to Fear is Fear Itself” in his first inaugural address. There is truth to this, to a degree. If we look at today and the fear running rampant around the current pandemic, we see how panic and misdirection – the fear of fear – is causing as much or more harm than the disease itself.

Yet I challenge you to say that fear is all we should be afraid of. I fear losing my family – in any way. I fear physical pain. I fear that my children will one day turn from God, and yes, I am afraid of cockroaches. Not all fear is rational, but it is fear nonetheless. How about you guys? What are your fears?

When we are surrounded by fear on all sides, quarantined in our homes from an illness we know very little about, what are we as Christians supposed to do? How can we be a light to a darker-than-usual world when all is uncertain?

There are many verses about fear in the Bible. Many. Whenever a message from God is delivered, the first line is always “Fear Not!” I don’t know about you, but if I am going about my day in the same fashion that I have for 40 years and suddenly a disembodied voice tells me not to be afraid, my reaction will likely not be one of calm acquiescence. However, when God says not to fear, he means it.

He meant it with Joshua as they started to take the Promised Land when He said to “Be Strong and Courageous” knowing that God went before them. David means it in Psalm 23 when he lays out all he fears and declares that God is with him for comfort. He means it when he tells the women at the tomb that Jesus is not there, but risen.

So we look at the many places where God says not to fear because He is with us. Here are some examples:

Isaiah 35:4

“Say to those with fearful hearts : Be strong, do not fear, He will come with a vengeance, with divine retribution he will come and save you.”

Matthew 6:34

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble on its own.”

Psalm 34:4

“I sought the Lord and he answered me; He delivered me from all of my fears.”

Psalm 94:19

“When anxiety was great within me. Your consolation brought me joy.”

Psalm 27:1

The LORD is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”

2 Timothy 1:7

For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.

Perhaps most importantly, especially today:

Romans 8:38-39

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither things present nor things to come, nor powers, neither height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As I have stated before – God is in control, and He loves us – Coronavirus does not change that.

So what can we do?

1. Pray without ceasing. Ask God for comfort, ask God for strength. Fear does not mean you are weak or without faith – it is a natural reaction when dealing with the unknown and loss of control.
2. Read your Word. If you want to read about dealing with fear specifically, here is a resource:

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/fear-bible-verses/

For encouragement, read the epistles. For stories, read Joshua.

3. If you are stuck with your family, now is the time to reconnect. How often have we wished for more time to spend with those we love. You have it – use it. Share your fears, share your strengths. Reignite the fire of your Christian home.
4. For some, there is little you can do materially, either because you cannot leave the house or because you are adversely affected financially. But you can pray. You can encourage. You can be the ear someone needs. And if you do have resources, find out where they or you can be used. Let’s remind the world that the church is still here, and go and be Jesus for the lost.