Fix Your Eyes

 

	“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”
	—Hebrews 12:2

	“…God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’”
	—Hebrews 13:6

The word “fear” occurs more than 300 times in the Bible. That tells me that this human emotion presents itself to us, even Christians, with some frequency. But how do we live with such a domineering character who seemingly vies to crush our joy and ship-wreck our daily walk with God?

Some of us quite naturally have more trouble with fear than others. The Enemy of our souls will constantly throw us into terror and even rule us through his use of this emotion.

In Hannah Hurnard’s classic allegory Hinds’ Feet on High Places, the main character has the name, “Much-Afraid,” and comes from a family of Fearing relatives, including a cousin who constantly dogged her steps, “Craven Fear.”

This theme also appears in another allegory, the journey of Pilgrim in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. Pilgrim sets out on his pilgrimage from the “City of Destruction” to the “Celestial City.” Soon it becomes dark and he is led to the “Hill of Difficulty” on which sits a “Porter’s Lodge” for the purpose of refreshing pilgrims on their way.

However, as Pilgrim trudges upward, he sees two lions in the way. Struck with fear, he stops. As the Porter from the Lodge watches him, it appears Pilgrim—now a Christian—will turn and retreat.

The Porter calls out to him, “Is thy strength so small? Fear not the Lions, for they are chained, and are placed there for trial of faith where it is, and for discovery of those that have none. Keep in the midst of the Path, and no hurt shall come unto thee.” ¹

The comfort of hearing the Porter’s voice, and the assurance of safety, gives Christian the focus he needs to keep on the path and to overcome his fear.

In like manner, when we find ourselves in the midst of trouble, when we see nothing but danger all around, we need the comfort of hearing our Savior’s voice telling us to not be afraid.

God, our God, remains Sovereign over all things, and has vowed to care for us and watch us all our journey through. How can we stay on the path without fainting? By remembering His words to us from the Scriptures.

If you are going through a terrifying time in your life, or just have constantly recurring fears, learn to keep the Word of God close by. Memorize scripture verses that give you courage and confidence. And, keep your eyes focused on Jesus. He watches you as the friendly Porter and will guide you to a place of safety and security with Him.

Keep on the path. The lions are chained!

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1 from The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, in The Harvard Classics, pg.49.