Driven By Fear
On a daily basis, we have a lot of decisions to make. Decisions about what to wear, what to eat, where to go, what route to take there, and countless thousands of other things. And these decisions we make are shaped by many different factors. Our decisions are often limited by real-world opportunities and the bounds of our creativity. We often make decisions instinctively based on our routines and desires. But at the root, one of the most powerful factors that can influence us is fear. Our decisions are often driven by fear and anxiety.
Our fears can take different forms. Sometimes we fear uncertainty and the unknown, so we prefer decisions that will reduce risk and give us a greater sense of control. Other times we fear that a decision will bring pain or the presence of some other evil. On yet other occasions we fear that a decision will deprive us of happiness. Our decisions are often driven by social anxiety and fear of missing out. When it gets right down to it, our decisions are driven by fear a lot more often than we’d like to admit.
An Illustration
In the book of Exodus, God sends Moses to lead the people of Israel out of their slavery to the Egyptians. And after God brings many plagues against the Egyptians through Moses, things seem to be going well. Pharaoh finally breaks down and announces that the people of Israel can go free. And at that moment, the people of Israel have a simple decision. They can either spend the rest of their lives in slavery, which they fear and dislike, or they can have freedom. It’s a simple decision.
But the situation quickly shifts. Pharaoh changes his mind and pursues Israel with his army. The people of Israel are soon backed up against the Red Sea. They’re trapped.
All of a sudden, the calculus changes. Just a short time earlier, Israel was fleeing from their fear of lifelong slavery. Now, with Egypt’s army surrounding them, they’re confronted with an even greater fear – namely, the fear of death.
Exodus 14:10-12 explains, “When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
The response of the Israelites here shows something profound about their hearts. Their willingness to follow Moses out of Egypt had the appearance of faith. It looked like Israel trusted God. But as it turns out, the primary factor driving the peoples’ decisions wasn’t faith. It was fear. The people were initially happy to follow Moses because the way seemed easy and profitable. But the moment opposition and hardship came, the people quickly abandoned their confidence in Moses’ God and would have gladly returned to slavery.
Exposing Our Hearts: Fear or Faith?
We would all do well to consider what we have motivating our decisions. But I want to particularly encourage reflection among people who consider themselves to be followers of God. There are many people who have turned to religion purely out of fear. It could be that people were driven to this because they fear pain in Hell, or they fear people’s opinions, or possibly because they fear missing out on something really great.
To be fair, there is a certain form of fear that grows out of faith. This is appropriate. We should trust God’s Word, and take His anger against wickedness seriously. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
Much of our fear, though, doesn’t proceed from faith, but from disbelief. We often cheapen the worth of God by treating him like a quick band-aid or therapy session that can help rescue us from our fears. And as often as God helps us with the big test we’re dreading, or helps us get out of the messy situation we’ve put ourselves in, we’re content to follow him.
But what happens if God himself calls us into uncertainty, hardship, and pain? What if obedience to God requires us to step into the very things that most terrify us? Will we be like the Israelites, complaining against God, clamoring to return to the “safety” of our slavery? Or will we continue to entrust ourselves to God, believing that the reproach of Christ is greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt (Hebrews 11:24-26)?
As you face difficulties and decisions, weigh your heart. Are your decisions driven by fear? Or are you acting out of confidence in who God is, what he has promised, and what He has done through Christ?
