By Chris WittsFriday 20 Oct 2023Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
What is the number one fear? What is it that people fear most of all? Many psychologists believe that the fear of death is the mother of all fears. And I think they’re probably right.
We usually don’t want to talk about death. But the reality is that all living things are going to die, including us. We want to put off that thought, but it pops up every now and then—especially if we attend a funeral for someone we loved. Deep down, we want to defeat death, to live as long as we can, to achieve something notable in our lives, to leave something behind to be remembered—to do something that will defeat mortality.
God Says, Do Not Fear
Good people die, bad people die. If we can’t cheat death, is there something we can do about the fear of death? We may fear we are running out of time—and that scares us. What have I achieved in my lifetime? Did I really make any difference at all? You may have heard of the idea that some people are so afraid of dying they forget to live. Maybe it’s the fear of wasting my whole life with insignificant stuff, not achieving my goals and ambitions? Is that you?
There are many verses in the Bible that talk of fear. One of my favourites is Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you”. Over and over again, God says to people don’t be fearful. I’ve got a better way to show you. I’m sure it’s the message many of us need to hear every day, as we grapple with bad and frightening news from our world scene.
Corrie’s Remarkable Story
Sometimes I recall amazing people in real life who have had to face fear, big time! Like Corrie ten Boom, the remarkable and brave Dutch woman who, with her family, hid from the Nazis in World War II. She helped 800 Jews escape from the Holocaust—it was a terrible time of fear. As a result, she and her sister Bessie were imprisoned in the infamous Ravensbrück concentration camp.
Many died of starvation and beatings, but somehow Corrie survived, and travelled the world telling her remarkable story of suffering, forgiveness, and even joy. She had experienced genuine fear—fear that she might die in that camp.
In older age, and for 35 years, she never had a permanent home. But at the age of 85, and in declining health, some friends provided her with a lovely house in California. It was luxury she never dreamed of having. One day a friend was visiting her and asked, “Corrie, hasn’t God been good to give you this beautiful house?” And then she replied very firmly, “Jimmy, God was good when I was in Ravensbrück too”.
I thought this was a remarkable answer. Here was a woman who faced fear head-on—she knew the presence of God in the most dreadful of circumstances.
Most of us will never experience the horrors that Corrie ten Boom faced—she relied on her Heavenly Father to deal with her fears. She wrote several books and said once, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”