Dizzying Heights, Crawling spiders, Political Conspiracy, Stage fright, Being buried alive in a box! What if you could get rid of ALL your fears but one “best” fear?

As a scuba diver, I have (what I think is) a healthy fear of sharks. But shark fatalities are about 1 in 250 million in the United States. …You’re twice more likely to be killed by a vending machine falling on you than by a shark! So…  Which is best?  Fear of vending machines or sharks?

According to Dr. Karl Albrecht, all fears fall within five basic fears: 1) extinction, 2) mutilation, 3) loss of autonomy, 4) separation, and 5) shame. So… What if you could get rid of ALL your fears but one “best” fear? 

Generally, fear is bad, sabotaging us.  Causing worry.  Flooding us with cortisol – which, long term, shortens our life.  Which means we should FEAR “fear”!  BUT… Fear CAN be good if it HELPS us.

So… What if you could get rid of ALL your fears but one “best” fear?

Isaiah 8 says… “Do not call conspiracy all that THIS people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what THEY fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, HIM you shall honor as holy.  Let HIM be your fear, and let HIM be your dread. And HE will become a sanctuary…”

What a comfort knowing we ONLY need to fear God… not any other fear that comes our way!  And, ironically, fear of God becomes our protection.

Fear of God is like the ocean: I love it, I jump in it and swim in it and let it toss me about, but I also fear its deadly power. How much more is the fear of God? Here’s the truth: God's overwhelming, frightening, unimaginable power is filled with goodness for us …and love and justice and mercy!

So Isaiah tells us we have nothing to fear but God himself! In that GOOD fear, all OTHER fears fall away. That’s why Isaiah says of God, “Let HIM be your fear, and let HIM be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary…”

When you’re filled with anxiety, worry, and distress, how can you turn your eyes away from THOSE fears and look to God who is the BEST fear? – with his goodness and justice and mercy and deep love for you?  When you do THAT, all other fears melt away, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by God’s frighteningly powerful goodness