When my giant concordance first told me to turn to Genesis 20:11, I was immediately confused. I could not actually find the word "fear" in my version of this verse.
However, I soon discovered that just because the word isn't there, it doesn't mean that the issue isn't.
Genesis 20:11 lands you right in the middle of the story of Abraham, Sarah, and King Abimelech of Gerar. In the verse Abraham replies to the king, "I thought, 'This is a godless place. They will want my wife and will kill me to get her.' You discover, earlier in the passage, that Abraham has lied to King Abimelech and told him that Sarah is his sister.
Confused about why this verse is listed under "Fear" in the concordance? So was I...at first. Until I stopped and asked myself "Why?".
Why did Abraham lie?
Answer: He was afraid, but more than that he was TERRIFIED.
He felt that his very life was in danger, that the king of this "godless place" would kill him and take Sarah for his own. Because of his fear, he didn't think of the consequences of his actions, instead he simply reacted to his emotions. Because of his rash, fear-driven decision he put an entire kingdom at risk. If God had not come to King Abimelech in a dream and told him that Sarah was a married women, according to the Scripture, the king would have been a "dead man." Once he found out, though, Abimelech gave Sarah back to her husband, and he gave them gifts of slaves, sheep, goats, and cattle.
So what does this have to with me--and my fears?
It all comes down to what I do when I am afraid. Now, I may not lie, but I run from fear. I hide. I avoid. And just like Abraham, my actions showcase a lack of faith and trust in a God who protects, provides, and plans.
I try to take matters into my own hands. I make rash decisions--decisions that sometimes have huge consequences for me and those around me, instead of believing in the promises of my God.
Luckily for me (and for Abraham) my God has a wonderfully, amazing habit of stepping in and fixing the mess that I have made for myself. It's His way of reminding me, "Do you see the kind of God that I am? So, don't let fear creep in. Trust me!"
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