Dreadful Agony

"Jesus plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony." Mark 14:33 (MSG) We've been reviewing the Max Lucado book "Fearless". It's a great book that I have not done justice. I hope you will get it and read it though. He has such a way with words. He can say in a couple of words what I can't say in 100. When I started this post, I planned to put a few chapters together. Combine them. As I began writing though, I found I couldn't. There's too much Mr. Lucado points out to ignore. Needs to be said. So I guess we'll be parked here for a few more weeks. Some of the subjects he talks about in the rest of this book are looming ever clearer in our horizon. I don't know if some of these things will happen in my lifetime, but then I didn't think something like 9-11 or the Boston Marathon would happen either. I was mistakenly sure we were safe on our own soil. My policeman son-in-law tells me we aren't safe anywhere, and after what he's seen he's probably right. But this I know.....God does not want us to live in a spirit of fear. And it is our job to find a way to do that. My only answer is through HIS power. Chapter 7 deals with the fear of worst-case scenarios. Although these are all fears that have been thought of and discussed in recent times, we have very little control over any of them. As a matter of fact, June Hunt from 'Hope for the Heart Ministry' has said this, "Worry is most often a prideful way of thinking that you have more control over life and its circumstances than you actually do." Many times when we think of worst-case scenarios, it involves our children. Just ask Stephen Curtis and Mary Chapman. They faced a worst-case event in 2008 when they lost their daughter. Not only did they have to face that loss, they had to help their son heal as he dealt with being involved in the accident. Nightmare. Worst-case for sure. By the way, Mary's book "Choosing to See" is a must read for all of us, whether we've faced a tragedy or not. Lucado pokes a little fun at our worst-case fears. Fears of an octupus trapping you on the ocean floor, an alien encounter, being in a gorilla's grasp. All silly, huh? Sometimes our fears of worst-cases are silly too. Most will never happen. And even if they do, it's not like we're the first ones to experience them. And we won't be the last. Sometimes this fear paralizes us, causing us to fear taking any chances at all. Lucado says many people live on the edge of the pool....."Preferring to take no risk rather than any risk. For fear of the worst, they never enjoy life at its best." He points out that Jesus was afraid of the worst thing too. In his case, Jesus' worst thing was feeling the full force of God's wrath when He took it for us. Matthew 26:37 describes how Jesus felt: "He took Matthew and the two sons of Jebedee along with him, and he began to feel sorrowful and troubled." But the real kicker is verse 38: "Then he said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Overwhelmed. Sorrowful. Troubled. To the point of death. Isn't God good? He covered the part where our Savior experienced the things we experience. Even to the point of overwhelming fear. And that's the key to facing our fear of worst-case scenarios. Take it to Him. He understands. He's been there. He knows. Fears that would sound silly when spoken aloud are fears He understands. I wonder if it is like us listening to a 3 or 4 year old express their fears. We understand that the fear of the monster under the bed is silly, but we know as parents that the fear of our child is not. It's real. Same thing with our Father. He knows some of our fears are silly, because he knows the ending. But He understands that our fears are real to us, and He loves us so much He is compassionate toward us. He listens, and He makes it better. Somehow talking to Him about it takes the power out of those fears. And when the power is gone, the scary part is gone too. Another very good technique Lucado recommends is telling a trusted God-seeking friend. Living alone with fear gives it more power. Quiet and empty rooms sometimes speak to us. Things like we should be afraid. "It" WILL happen. The boogey-man only comes out when we are alone. So finding someone to share your worst fears with will give you someone to empathize with you. You don't have to do it alone. I have never had to really face a worst-case scenario coming true in my life. But I know some of you have. We mentioned before how devastating the death of a child can be. Other worst-cases could be the loss of a job with another one no where in sight. A cancer diagnosis. Death of a spouse. We could make a pretty long list. But the amazing, wonderful thing is this: in the end, when it's all said and done, WE WIN!!! Our team is victorious. And all those other things our enemy used to cause us pain in this life mean very little in the scope of eternity. Maybe, just maybe, our only worst-case scenario to fear is lack of salvation for one of our loved ones or ourselves. Because that's all there is in the end. The 'dreadful agony' Jesus faced felt the same as those we face. He knows what to do to help us. That's why He begs us for relationship. With relationship, we can share everything, even our 'dreadful agonies' with Him. Blessed assurance.