BRIC House Gathering no 13

Jesus Calms the Storm, by Gustave Doré (1832–1883).

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 FEAR!
e oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the
oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.
—H. P. Lovecraft1

Fear and trembling come upon me,

and horror overwhelms me.
—Psalms 55:5

1 http://www.heartquotes.net/fear.html

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Scriptures
“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”
And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats
were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so
that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they
woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke
and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there
was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And
they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the
wind and the sea obey him?”” (Mark 4:35–41 ESV)

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Study
Look at Mark 4:35-41 again.
1. What time of day was it?
2. Did they “prepare?”
3. Were they alone?
4. How severe was the storm?
5. Were they actually dying?
6. What happened to them after the wind was stopped?
7. Why?

e word “fear” appears over 350 times in the Bible.2 e phrase “do not be afraid” is listed 33
times. You could look at fear as either, holy or unholy, but let’s take a look at it in these forms.
• Fear as Respect and Reverence.
• Fear as Worry and Concern.

Respect and Reverence

“e fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and
instruction.” (Prov 1:7 ESV)

“Because I have called and you refused to listen,

have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when terror strikes you,
when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
en they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

2 In the English Standard Version

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would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.” (Prov 1:24–31 ESV)

Worry and Concern

““erefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will
drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body
more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And
which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you
anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor
spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so
clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he
not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? erefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What
shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt 6:25–
33 ESV)

Read Psalms 23. Anyone know it by heart?

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Discuss
1. Are you scared not knowing what God is going to do in your lives?

2. I mean, really allowing God to control your life. A little bit scary?

3. Does a lack of faith equal fearing the unknown?

4. If we know more of God, will we know more of what to expect?

5. How can we know more of God?

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