Fear Before Redemption
By Rev. William Dohle
The past month I chaperoned my oldest son's class on their class trip to the high ropes course outside of town. And what an eye-opening experience that turned out to be.
The course was simple...or so it looked from our vantage point. All you needed to do was walk one rope over to a pad, transfer your cables, walk over a few swings, transfer your cables, and do the same just two more times.
It all looked simple...until you tried it yourself. Only then did you discover what fear truly was.
Our guides told us it would happen. Despite the ropes course being "the safest place in all of camp", our brains told us otherwise. And my brain said, quite loudly as the rope was swinging back and forth each and every time I took a step, "What in the world are you doing up here, Bill?!"
I tried not to look down. Keep your eyes fixed ahead, I thought. Fear gripped my every step. I made it to the first post. And then to the second. The third one I almost didn't make it over. Using a jump-rope style rope to walk across is not as easy as it looks. But I made it there. And I made it over the ravine to the ladder that led up to the zip line.
And I never was unafraid. Not ever!
I made it up the ladder where, my feet dangling over the edge, I was to lean myself over the edge and down the zip line.
In those moments attached to the zip line, as the rain started coming down again, I wondered: Does fear always come before redemption? Is it necessary to experience the terror of falling before you can enjoy the exhilaration of the zip fall down?
Fear was exactly what the people of Israel were experiencing moments before God parted the sea to let them through. Stuck between the water on the one hand and an advancing army on the other, they wondered aloud(as they would often do in the desert to come) why God had led them to this cliff. Why would God make them experience this terror before he redeemed them? Why not leave them be, either in Egypt or in their promised land? Why would God put them through this mess?
Moses answers them, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
But still that doesn't calm them down. "Why are you crying out to me?" God says. "Tell the people to move on!"
And yet, despite the assurance of God's redemption. Despite having seen that power first-hand in all the plagues that had struck the Egyptians, the people of Israel still feared the danger all around.
I know many believers who ask the same questions of God the people of Israel did. "Why are you putting us through this mess?" These people face fears just as real as any mortal danger would be. Fears like... "Will I lose my job today or tomorrow?"... "What will I do now that my house has been repossessed?"... "Why does our health keep getting worse and not better?"..."Will my son or daughter ever find gainful employment?"..."Why can't the doctors figure out what's wrong?"
These fears can paralyze us if we're not careful. Trapped on the "high ropes" of our lives, we can feel hopeless, abandoned, and strung out. With no one to care for us, we become like one little girl was in my son's class...a mess! We start to cry and flail about and forget that God is there for us, keeping us from falling into the abyss. For, no matter what happens to us here, we are Christ's forever and ever! And his love will never let us go!
So...when if you feel like you're stuck between a Red Sea and an Egyptian army, do not fear. And if you've already fallen in fear, do not worry. And if you're worrying...well, just hold on tight. "The Lord will fight for you..." and nothing can or will ever separate you from God's love. NOTHING!
I am afraid, O Lord, and I seek your aid. Help me in times of fear to overcome and hold on, knowing and believing that you do care and will come rescue and save me. Amen.
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