UNHALLOWED FEAR

In the heart of the African forest superstition reigns and fear can grip the heart to an extraordinary degree. Peter, writing to the early Christians scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Capadocia, Asia and Bithynia, warned them of the devil who, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. The Apostle urged them, “Whom resist, steadfast in the faith.” Satan may come, in the guise of craven fear, to approach his prey.”

I have a vivid recollection of being drawn under the power of such fear.”

For days a sinister influence of fear seemed to pervade and brood over our small community. The students spoke in whispers, as they huddled together in groups. One special victim had been singled out by them as the offender — the one who had the power to cast spells on them! “Had not her mother held the same power of witchcraft?” they argued.”

Later on, a modicum of reasonable commonsense could recognise how ridiculous was the situation created by over-heated imaginations ! It was something to laugh at. The trotting of a passing donkey, in the hours of the night, was interpreted as being the weird, nocturnal passage of “such an one.” One young man, a big strapping fellow, demonstrated, in all seriousness, a scratch on his arm, claiming that most certainly it had been caused unawares by the witch of the night.”

During the day it was easy to ridicule all such talk. Such an atmosphere had been created, however, that with the approach of evening I began to dread having to leave the company of others in order to go to my own sleeping quarters ! But however real a fear may be, the Lord is able to break its power. “Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there divination against Israel.””

Years later, I again encountered the paralysing effect of superstitious fear. A girl in her teens, whom we shall call “Inkazana,” was so overcome that she was forced to cower under her blankets in self protection against the approaching figure of a woman; as she termed her hallucination.”

On this occasion, the fear was concentrated in one individual. For several days neither food nor drink, nor threat nor cajoling had any effect to remove the dread of the poor girl. But prayer, made in the Lord’s Name, to remove this fear, and the reading of His Word put the minions of Satan to flight. Peace entered Inkazana’s mind and very soon she was able to go about her usual work and studies.”

We hope that her experience of the availing power of the Word of the Lord will not be similar to that of the lepers who experienced the power of His Word in healing their bodies; but they neglected to return to give thanks to Him.”

But fear is not confined to cases such as superstition. It attacks in other even more subtle and insidious ways which are so effective as to need special resistance. We read in Scripture that the fear of man bringeth a snare.”

In Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan graphically describes for us the character of Shame, who accosted Faithful in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Shame objected, among many other things, “that for a man to watch over his words and ways, so as to tie up himself from that hectoring liberty that the brave spirits of the times accustom themselves unto, would make him the ridicule of the times.” He moreover objected to “the low estate and condition of those that were chiefly the pilgrims of the times in which they lived; and also their ignorance and want of understanding in all natural science.””

Poor Faithful was so put to, as she says, “that my blood came up in my face, even this Shame fetched it up.” But then he began to consider. He realised that at the end of the world it would be by the wisdom and Law of the Highest that he would be judged, as worthy of life or death, and not by the opinion of men of this world. “Therefore,” thought he, “what God says is best is best, though all the men in the world are against it….The poor man that loveth Christ is richer than the greatest man in the world that hates Him.””

Shame was very persistent but Faithful was eventually able to shake him off with a counter attack; as he afterwards related to his friend Christian, “I told him ’twas but in vain to attempt further in this business for those things which he disdained, in those did I see most glory.””

And so it is still. There is the same tendency, in all spheres of life, to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. But Paul said: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Jesus Himself said: “For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come, in His Own glory and in His Father’s and of the holy angels.””

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