There's fear and then there's PANIC.
PAN was the Greek god of flocks, forests, meadows and shepherds. He had the horns and feet of a goat, and played delightful tunes on a set of reed pipes ("the pipes of Pan") as he frolicked about the landscape. According to legend, Pan was the source of scary noises in the wilderness at night. Fright at these noises was called "panic" fear.
God tells us: "Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken" (Proverbs 3:25-26).
Fear lessens when we think BIG thoughts about God. Reading the Psalms helps us believe in a big God who most adequately looks after us. The bigger He is in our thinking the smaller our fears become. The Book of Romans teaches us to have BIG thoughts about Jesus Christ, His amazing grace and perfect salvation. When I remember He has conquered sin, death, hell and ultimately the Devil himself, I do not fear even at Halloween time. No spook can touch me without God's permission. In fact, as I see it, even if I traffic in ghost and goblin costumes, I'm making fun of evil spirits because I'm under Divine protection and know they are doomed. Evil could not touch the suffering Job without God giving the green light, nor can it touch me. And if it does, it is God sanctifyingly at work in my life. And so, I trust Him and am at rest.
As the saying goes: "Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there."
dick christen
