When Everyone Else Is Panicking
I told myself I'd stop reading about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and get back to work, but that was at least an hour ago. I asked myself why I was looking at detailed maps of the front lines and couldn't think of a good answer. I guess it feels responsible to stay informed. But most of the time, we aren't learning anything that helps us. Instead, sophisticated algorithms are training us to be afraid. Why? Because fear keeps us hooked, giving our attention to the scariest voices.
Isaiah 8:11-14
For this is what the LORD said to me with great power, to keep me from going the way of this people: Do not call everything a conspiracy that these people say is a conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified. You are to regard only the LORD of Armies as holy. Only he should be feared; only he should be held in awe. He will be a sanctuary; but for the two houses of Israel, he will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
The prophet Isaiah wrote during a time of national panic, and understandably so. The regional Assyrian superpower threatened to invade Israel and destroy their way of life. So, the people were obsessed with political, economic, and military conspiracies. Scanning their environment for danger, they were susceptible to believing anything as long as it sounded scary. In this chaotic moment, God interrupts Isaiah "with great power." He doesn't say, "Relax, Assyria won't hurt you." That wouldn't be true; Assyria did have an overwhelming military advantage. Instead, God gives a strange command: Do not fear what they fear. When we fear what everyone else fears, we become destabilized. We're handing the remote control of our souls (and our nervous system) to people who don't care about us. I've stayed up late refreshing websites to see who won an election. I've obsessed over statistical models about a pandemic to win meaningless fights on Facebook. God offers us something better. He says, "Regard only the LORD of Armies as holy." It sounds strange to fear God, but it's better than the alternative. Fear is a form of worship. Whatever you fear most is what you revere most. Instead of living in dread of what someone might do to us, God invites us to be freed of this panic. The solution is to behold his greatness and worship him with reverence. Why? Because God is not only powerful, but he is good. He promises to "be a sanctuary" to everyone who trusts him. But he's only safe after he becomes our dread. As long as we're terrified of everyone else, we'll never be able to relax in the presence of God.
Reflection Questions
What are the topics our culture seems most obsessed with fearing right now?
If you felt safe being honest, what percentage of your mental energy this week went to worrying about things you saw on a screen? How did it affect your ability to pray or be present?
What makes it hard to trust that fearing God is actually better for us than monitoring every threat?
One Thing to Try
The 60-Second Swap Fear is an attention problem. We can't just stop fearing. We have to look somewhere else. 1. Identify the app or news source that makes you most anxious. 2. For the next 24 hours, every time you feel the urge to check it, read Isaiah 8:11-14 instead. 3. Text your friend: "I want to start doomscrolling, please pray for me." Together, we're learning to look at the Lord of Armies instead of the inflammatory conspiracies of today.