In Luke 2:8-20, we’re quickly introduced to some shepherds minding their own business out in the fields. In an instant, their lives are changed forever: An angel appears, the glory of God shines all around them, and it crescendos into a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God. Having just witnessed these category-shattering events in rapid succession, their reaction is reasonably justified—they were absolutely terrified! Yet, instead of spiraling into a lifelong existential crisis or being reduced to babbling ninnies, they appropriately hasten to do as the angel instructed. Upon confirming the angel’s words, they spread the news so effectively that their story made it into our Bibles today.
Elsewhere in an older Testament, Isaiah experienced holy fear too. He was so convicted by his sin that he exclaimed, “Woe to me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6:5). The Lord dealt with his sin and then commissioned him to be a prophet. In both cases, God’s glory brings great fear, but it leads to being included in incredible things. Contrast that kind of fear with the things we fear today. Worry and anxiety dominate our landscape. If not gloom and depression, it’s paralyzing fear of nameless shames or untouchable guilt. We manage fear, afraid to confront it. Who knows what we might find?
Fear is an inevitable part of life, we are guaranteed to be afraid of something. Unlike the shepherds and Isaiah, who were thrust into holy fear without warning, we are mostly given a choice: We can run away from our sin, letting carnal fears bury us in shame and stagnation, or we can lean into holy fear, allowing it to convict us, draw us to a deeper repentance, and propel us into God’s redemptive story. Present yourself before the Lord, feel the fear, receive the forgiveness, and watch our Savior turn terror into purpose, hope, and action!
Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member