The other night I saw on the TV, a news item about hundreds of models queued outside a Manhattan studio for hours waiting for an opportunity to be famous. The pressure of the impending auditions, the pressing of the crowd, a nearby car breaks down and begins to smoke, a rumour flashes through the crowd of a bomb has gone off in the car and the panic ignites into a frenzy of georgous girls thrashing like a hauled in net of fish. Panic has set in.
During the recent bush fires… the smell of smoke was enough to spook many in the days that followed. And the recent earthquakes we had in Melbourne set off many people.
And the occasional Doomsday prediction launch many a panic.
Ever been caught up in the panic that surrounds you? We only need to see the response to a few things of late to see that panic can be upon us and sweep us off our feet.
So, as Christians, how do we inoculate ourselves from panic?
The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you. “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid. John 14:26,27
In those moments when ‘fright or flight’ surges from the adrenaline and panic passes over our hearts, it is the time to draw from that which is within us.
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:14-17
We can call on Jesus, ask of Him and He will do it… IF. If we love Him, we will obey what He commands. It is out of this command that we will find the answer and hold the panic at bay.
Sometimes we may just react to a situation…we are after all designed for ‘flight or fright’ to guard us from danger. But we need not stay in that mode longer than is necessary.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3
And…
“Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10
The next time when fear grips you or panic is setting in, what will your response be?