The puzzle hit the floor with a thud. Pieces bounced across the floor. The five-year-old from whose hands the puzzle dropped almost cried. He had worked so hard to get all the pieces in the right place. Now his effort lay in shambles.
Anger flushed his face; anger at himself and anger at his sister who startled him. Other emotions also flashed across his face — embarrassment, anxiety, even fear. Could he ever get all the pieces back together again?
With the news of war in Iraq, many of us feel like that five-year-old. We are frustrated that all the work toward peace in the world lies in broken shambles just like that puzzle. We are angry at those we blame for this new state of affairs. We are embarrassed. We understand that war always signals failure to achieve God’s purpose of peace in the world. We are anxious about the results of this war.
Many of us are afraid. We fear the loss of friends and loved ones. We fear the threats of chemical weapons. We fear the suffering of innocent people. We fear the ripples of this new war on international relations. We fear the impact of evil. We fear the unknown.
Fear is an old acquaintance of mankind. The first recorded sentence spoken by Adam in the Garden of Eden included the confession “I was afraid.”
People handle fear in different ways. Sometimes we resign ourselves to what we fear. We embrace that fatalistic philosophy that “whatever will be will be.” We feel helpless to make a difference and conclude there is nothing we can do about what we fear.
Sometimes our response is to work harder. Possessed of a belief that we can control our own destiny, we determine to work harder, to put in longer hours, to pray more. Too often we end up isolating ourselves from those we need most, our family and friends.
Sometimes we give in to depression. Things are bad and they are going to get worse, we might conclude. We try to blot out the pain with pills, alcohol or other things that distract us for a moment. In essence, we give up our humanity. We may not feel the pain, but we do not feel love either. We turn inward and lose touch with the things we used to care about.
Anger is a response for some of us. Our fear is someone else’s fault. We blame. We attack. Somebody has to pay for the situation so we take out our anger on others. We play the role of Cain striking out at his brother Abel rather than acknowledging our own responsibility and changing our own behavior.
Sometimes appeasement is our response to fear. We seek peace at any cost. Whatever will get us through the day or make life bearable is what we do. Unfortunately, appeasement only accommodates the causes of our fear. Behaviors and circumstances that caused us to fear in the first place only become more entrenched through appeasement. They never change.
The airwaves and newspapers were filled with all of these responses and more as the war in Iraq began. Commentators and analysts, as well as conversations over coffee cups, pour out varying scenarios of what “might” happen. Listen carefully and see if most ideas are not a way of dealing with basic fears.
The Bible points to another way of facing our fears. The causes of fear cannot be eliminated, but we can remember that Jesus is present with us in every situation. His presence is not distant like one remembering a spouse who has been absent for a long time. The presence of Jesus is a reality.
The name of Jesus is “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” Our Lord’s final words on this earth were, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the ages.” The story of Scripture from beginning to end is that God is with us. We recognize His presence through faith.
The original meaning of the word translated faith was to bind oneself to someone. Thus, faith came to be synonymous with trust. It was a word of relationship. Our faith in Jesus enables us to understand that God is with us. We can trust Him.
Mark 4 recounts the experience of Jesus asleep in the boat while a storm battered the disciples as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. The disciples feared for their lives. They awoke Jesus and asked, “Do you not care that we are perishing?”
Verse 39 says Jesus calmed the seas then asked, “Why are you afraid? Where is your faith?” The question was “Where is your faith in Me?”
In the midst of the storms in our lives, we, like the disciples are afraid. War is a reality. People are dying. Some innocents suffer. Dangers abound. Implications of actions exist as well as implications of inaction. The causes of our fears cannot be eliminated.
But, like the disciples, we can be comforted by remembering that God is with us. Our confidence is in Him. It is as if Jesus asks us, “Do you still have faith in Me?” It is a serious question when Jesus asks if we trust Him in the midst of loss, of pain, of confusion, of fear.
May our answer be, “Yes, Lord. We believe in, trust in, have faith in You.” And to our Lord may we bring our fears. God is with us.
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