When Fear Gives Way to Glory
By David Faust
It started with fear, and it ended in glory.
Many things start and end that way. A young mother fears the pain of childbirth, but she rejoices after the baby is born. A football player faces possible injury as he sprints onto the field, but the thrill of competition and the possibility of victory motivate him to take the risk. Stage fright plagues a jittery public speaker, but he feels relieved when listeners smile and nod. A young physician steadies her grip on the scalpel as she begins her first solo surgery, but later she quietly rejoices when the patient recovers. Good things often start with fear and end in glory.
GOOD NEWS AMBASSADORS
On a visit to Bethlehem a couple of years ago, I saw a shepherd at work. He didn’t look like the robed shepherds depicted on Christmas cards. This modern shepherd wore sneakers, jeans, and a T-shirt, and he was talking on a cell phone; but he had full command of his flock. He whacked his staff on a rock, and the sheep listened and followed. Supervising the flock looked like routine work for him.
When a group of first-century shepherds began their night shift near Bethlehem, they didn’t anticipate anything unusual, scary, or wonderful would happen. Tending sheep was routine work for them. They didn’t expect to see God’s glory shining around them . . . or to hear a concert by an angel choir . . . or to have a personal encounter with the Messiah.
The shepherds had no idea they were role-players in an unfolding drama that would forever change the world. They didn’t realize that centuries later, people would sing carols about them or portray them in holiday pageants. If the shepherds had been forewarned that something terrifying would happen that evening, they might have called in sick. But if they hadn’t gone out to serve in the field, they would have missed the glory.
The angels sang about peace on earth, and the terrified shepherds needed some peace themselves. Intense fear soon gave way to overwhelming joy. These unsuspecting shepherds became eyewitnesses of the Prince of Peace . . . the Lamb of God . . . a baby King swaddled not in a royal robe but in plain strips of cloth, with a manger for his throne. Now it was time for the shepherds themselves to become God’s good news ambassadors.
The night started with fear and ended in glory. “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:20).
‘GRACE MY FEARS RELIEVED’
What are you afraid of right now? What makes you shudder with worry and dread? The song “Amazing Grace” contains this thought-provoking line: “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.” Fear is a natural response to the unknown—to danger and uncertainty. And faith is the right response to fear. When darkness descends, faith ascends. God can be trusted even in scary situations. His grace teaches our hearts to fear, and then it brings relief.
The Christmas story starts with fear and ends with glory, and faith is the deciding factor. If we don’t risk facing danger—if we never venture out to the dark field where unexpected things can happen—we might miss the glory.
Personal Challenge: On a piece of paper or in your personal journal, write a list of concerns that scare or worry you. In prayer, lift these fears up to God, knowing that he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Ask the Prince of Peace to put your heart at rest.
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