Fear - Proverbs 29

The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.
Proverbs 29:25

What do you fear most? Is it heights? Is it crowds? Maybe you are afraid of roller coasters. Or, is it what other people say about you? For me, I have always had a horrible fear of public speaking. When I was young I was terribly shy. In sixth grade, I remember crying when my parents dropped me off for the first day of school. It was excruciatingly painful for me to get up in front of a class and make a presentation. It did not matter if it was a book report, an oral report, or a a debate, I always felt like I was going to either pass out or throw up when it came time for me to get up and speak. To make matters worse, at the time I was not a Christian, so I did not even have God to fall back on for support.

Chances are, most people who knew me back then had no idea that I was that scared. They assumed I volunteered to go first because I was comfortable with public speaking. How were they to know it was so I would not throw up in class? I was never particularly good at speaking, but when survival is your standard, every thing above not barfing looks like success.

Fast forward about 20 years. A woman at the church I attended wanted to start a pregnancy help center for women who needed an alternative to abortion. It sounded like a plan to me. So, we established a board of directors and got the ball rolling. Somehow (this part remains rather foggy to me) I agreed that if I would help with getting speakers out in the community to talk about our center. It seemed like a scheduling and coordination job to me. You know, I would find a need for a speaker and then I would find a speaker to fill that need. No problem.

Somehow, my idea of what I volunteered for and the actual job description were a little different. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had signed up to teach sexual abstinence to teenagers. Yes, that is right. The only person more mortified at the thought of my getting up and talking about sex to a group of teenagers than me was my 14 year-old daughter. And, to tell you the truth, I don’t think she was worried about me throwing up or passing out.

And that, my friends, was the beginning of my training in the life lesson that the Lord will never lead you to where He cannot keep you. If God has called you to do something, do not let any fear of man prevent you from accomplishing His purpose. I discovered that if (as Mark Cole shared at PA 2008) I could get the butterflies in my stomach to fly in formation just long enough to get me out in front of the crowd, then the Holy Spirit would take over and I was home free.

It has been years since I learned that lesson. I wish I could tell you that I no longer fear public speaking. The truth is, I still get that queasy feeling each and every time I speak in public – even when I am addressing Patriot Academy. But, I no longer try to overcome my fear. I just rejoice in the glory of God that He can use us even when we are afraid. Then, I take that first step out, open my mouth, and trust God to do the rest.

Lord, thank you for your power to do all that you have called us to accomplish.