Fear Not

Slow And Steady Wins the Race

Chapter 66

January 11

Psalm 37: 39-40

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.

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Preface

Fear has a way of infusing people with a degree of panic. No matter its level of intensity, when people are generally predominated by fear, there's always this low-grade background vibration of panic within them.

This state warps their sense of time. They're like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, always late, rushing to nowhere.

Fear makes it seem like there's not enough time for anything. One of its favorite lines is "I don't have time for that." It often says this quickly, as a way to fight against and keep themselves blind to the truth.

Fear wants nothing to do with reason. It just wants things done in the fastest, easiest, least demanding and least annoying way.

So, it hurries through everything, missing and messing up details every step of the way. Because of this, people often have to work harder, longer, while still getting less done, due to the rework they end up having to do.

But what happens when they fail to mind the details associated with maintaining their relationships? Or the lives they build that other people may in some way depend on, like with their job, or a company they've built?

Conversely, faith's operating philosophy is "Take your time. Be patient. Mind the details. Do it right the first time." Faith achieves a deep sense of satisfaction from building life in this way.

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When today's verses are expanded by their original Hebrew, we're provided with greater insight and understanding. Re-written with the Hebrew, David is telling us:

The 'tesu a,' personal and spiritual deliverance; the victory over and freedom from trouble, for the 'sadiq,' just and lawful people who keep their reputation clean, comes from 'YHWH,' the eternal, self-Existent breath of life.

He is their 'ma uz,' strong, fortified defensive fortress, which is 'azaz,' firm, brave and enduring, when feeling 'sara,' distressed from being closed-in emotionally, whether from imagining something going wrong, or from some adversary found out in the world.

'YHWH,' the eternal, self-Existent breath of life--existence itself--'azar,' surrounds and provides aid to 'sadiq,' the just, lawful people of integrity, helping them 'palat,' slip away and escape the 'rasa,' bad people who do wrong and make trouble.

'YHWH' opens the 'sadiq' within, making them wide in heart and mind, resulting in victory and safety, because they 'hasa,' boldly, confidently; even, carelessly, confide and unquestioningly place their trust in Him.

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When we unquestioningly trust in someone, we don't give a second thought to whether they'll somehow let us down or do something wrong. We don't even consider 'how' they will be there for us or will carry out the task with which we've trusted them. We just know that we can count of them, that they'll be there, and they'll get the job done.

As we would for them.

We have faith in them, because they've never let us down before. They've consistently shown themselves reliable, whether as a family member, spouse, dear friend, employee, or co-worker.

This level of blind, bold, careless confidence represents a loving, patient and powerful faith. It's built from making a deep connection with someone, getting to know them through real-life experiences.

Psalm 37 provides us with numerous side-by-side comparisons of faith and fear. It shows us what they look like, giving us real-life examples of how they're expressed, from the emotions we feel to the behavior's others display.

But the overarching message David's giving to us is similarly analogized by the story of the tortoise and the hare.

Faith operates from a disciplined, slow, steady pace. It's focused on doing things in a way that'll ensure they last. At its purest, when in action, Faith is methodical. It minds the details, refusing to compromise and leave accumulated gains in life vulnerable, exposed to collapse and loss.

Fear doesn't operate like this at all. First and foremost, it's both lazy and greedy. This represents a life-destroying combination. It drives people to move fast, in short bursts, usually taking advantage of short-term gains. But these come at the expense of long-term, lasting results. Fear justifies unscrupulous behavior, shortcuts and dis-honest dealings to get ahead.

And in the short-term, it may appear that they, like the hare, get way out ahead. Fear builds up money, collects the big-boy toys, and, by all appearances, creates an extravagantly lavish lifestyle.

But they've lost all integrity. Bridges were burned. Their social circle narrows to hyenas, feeding off of the scraps of their life while they await their chance to take it all.

The gains came fast at the expense of longevity. The details weren't minded. The head of a certain crypto-currency fund comes to mind. What looks big, beautiful on the outside, like Swiss cheese, it ends up being ripe with gaping holes within. Moreover, everything is built on shifting sand.

It's only a matter of time before it all comes crumbling down.

"I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found" (37:35-36).

This is why David tells us to not fret (become angry), or to be envious of those who acquire material wealth, or the promotion, or favor, by doing wrong.

Anger and envy are expressions of their own kind of fear. Anger says that I don't trust that they'll be held accountable. Or that our faith lacks, believing that we can't win against them doing things the right way.

Envy is just anger wearing a different mask. It's born from frustration at having to do things the right way to get the things we want from life, hating how much longer the right way seems to take.

Fear focuses in on the immediate short term. From such a perspective, fear creates internal dialogue points based on "it not being fair."

But God through David is encouraging us to broaden our perspective. We're being told that there's nothing to worry about. On the one hand, fear's rapid short-term gains do not mean that faith's way isn't going to succeed doing it the right way. And on the other hand, when we truly think about it, how "Existence" works, fear's way of doing things is going to run into all sorts of trouble.

Those who operate from fear live for the moment with no eye to the future and no consideration of how many people they're hurting and will hurt.

In faith, we see the truth clearly. We don't want to work so hard to build a family, a home, or a business, and risk every step of the way having it all fall apart.

Faith is smart. Its expanded and fearless perspective rejoices in wisdom. And for those who connect to this in a real way, realizing firsthand the comparative truth of it, "in times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine, they will enjoy plenty" (37:19).

Faith is future oriented. So, it builds in today what will outlast us tomorrow.

So "do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes" (37:7). There's no need to. Time will take care of them.

"Trust in YHWH [Existence] and do good" (37:3), and "wait patiently for Him" (37:7).

Stay the course. Slow and steady. And as surely as we breathe, we'll win the race.