There is so much good in the future you’re afraid of!
Nik Wallenda understands fear. He’s is a seventh generation daredevil. The Wallenda family started performing daring stunts back in the 1780s in Bohemia. Nik started walking on a wire at 18-months old. Since then his high-wire performances have taken him across the Grand Canyon, over Niagara Falls, between two towers in Chicago, blindfolded, and over Times Square. He holds 11 Guinness World Records and a list of never-before-seen death defying feats. His wife is a daredevil too. She broke Nic’s record for the “iron-jaw hang” when she hung by her teeth from a cable attached to a helicopter while it flew over Niagara Falls.
Turns out, being a daredevil is dangerous. In 1962, the Wallenda family experienced a tragedy that is closely tied to Nic’s story. The Wallendas were performing at the Shrine Circus in Detroit. They attempted a 7-person pyramid on a high-wire, without a net. It is considered to be the most dangerous stunt in the history of the circus. The pyramid fell, killing two of Nic’s uncles and paralyzing another.
Decades later, Nic had the opportunity to join 6 other Wallendas in a reenactment of the 7-person pyramid. At the time, Nic’s his parents were urging him to get a “real job”, not because of fear but because they believed there was no future in circus. So Nic enrolled in medical school. When Nic arrived to perform the 7-person pyramid he saw the streets crowded with all the major media outlets. The circus was not dead, it had just changed. Seeing a future in the work he loved, Nic dropped out of medical school and continued to walk the wire.
Nik is fearless. At least he thought he was until he experienced his own traumatic high-wire accident in 2017. Nic was part of an 8-person pyramid. It was a level up from the 7-person act that ended in tragedy in 1962. During one of their practices, the pyramid fell, 3 people grabbed the wire and the other 5 fell 30 feet to the ground. They all survived. But in the emergency room following the accident the future didn’t look so good. Nic’s sister was in a comma. She broke every bone in her face and her arm and her leg. Nik was one of those who caught the wire and was not hurt. Nic told reporters, “It’s tragic. It’s horrible. It’s a nightmare, but the Wallendas are – we’ll get through it. That’s what we’ve done in the past and that’s what we’re gonna do.”
But Nic struggled to get through it. The Wallenda family was known for their moto, “Never give up”. But Nic was ready to walk from his love of performing and a 7 generation legacy. The future that was once exciting to Nic became something scary. He once had the courage to perform terrifying feats. What had changed? The daredevil was crippled, not physically but by his fear.
Fear is crippling. When it wins we stop moving forward. It is wining in our culture and we are not immune.
In Numbers 13 and 14 we find a story in which God’s people are crippled by fear. They refused to keep moving because they were afraid of the future. So instead of moving into the Promised Land they spend an extra 40 years in the wilderness. Fear is crippling. This story reminds us of why that is not ok. It is not ok to be crippled by our fear of the future, because there is so much good in the future you’re afraid of!
Check out how fear changes everything in this story.
Numbers 13:27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.”
Numbers 14:1 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.
The report started with great news and it ended in an emotional mess. What happened? When God’s people looked at the future, they saw more fear than good. They missed it! We don’t have to!
3 ACTIONS THAT WILL MOVE YOU BEYOND YOUR FEAR AND INTO GOD’S GOOD FUTURE!
ACTION #1- LISTEN TO BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY!
There are two sides to every story. The report of the spies shared both sides of the story, but the fear report overshadowed the faith report. By the time they were done with the report the people were only listening to one side of the story, the bad news. When the fear report shakes us, we have to remember that there is another side to the story!
The other side of their story was really good! They went out to spy the land because God invited them into his good future.
Number 13:1-2 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel.”
We might be afraid of what we think the future holds, but the God who knows the end from the beginning and wants the best for us is inviting us into that future. He sees the future good that you can’t.
Spying out the land was a big moment for the Israelites! A year before, they were slaves in Egypt, where they had been stuck for 400 years. Their future did not seem so bright. But they had a promise, a Promised Land. God told Abram that his descendants would be slaves for 400 years and that he would bring them back and give them the land (Genesis 15:13-18). There were some Hebrews making bricks in the sun who remembered that promise. There were probably others who were not counting on it after all those generations. But then God led them out of Egypt with a series of undeniable miracles. God keeps his promises. It had been the craziest year of their lives. They saw the plagues, they walked across the Red Sea, they camped at Sinai where God made a covenant with them and gave them detailed instructions on how to live well. Now they were ready to go claim that promise. It had all led up to this. Can you feel the optimism for the future at the beginning of Numbers 13?
There is so much good in the future you’re afraid of!
God had brought them into the desert. But the desert was not the destination.
Deuteronomy 6:23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers.
God doesn’t just lead us out of the bad he brings us into the good. It is not just about getting out of Egypt. He wants to bring us into something. Something too good to be imagined from the desert! Sure, there are some terrifying reports but there is another side to the story! God promises a land flowing with milk and honey. That means it is abundant with good stuff! The desert wasn’t flowing with anything. Don’t get comfortable in the desert! There is so much good in the future you’re afraid of!
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Maybe you don’t see any possible good in your future. You know that you’re near the end of life, the end of your marriage, or the end of your career. Your best earthly days may be behind you. Still, there is so much good in the future you’re afraid of! On the other side of this chaos there is an eternity of good.
The good news is the best side of the story, still, it is important to listen to both sides. And there is some truth in the bad news.
The spies really did find scary stuff in the Promised Land. There were powerful people, fortified cities, occupied land. We aren’t talking about fear because there is nothing to be afraid of but because there is, and we need to know how to deal with it. It can be helpful to be aware of this side of the story! But watch out, it can cripple you!
The world we live in is scary. We are overwhelmed with fearful headlines about health, economy, religious freedom, vaccinations, government mandates, climate issues and social justice. Three are more than 100 million confirmed cases of COVID19 and now we have mutations to worry about. It is alarming to see over 10.3 million US acres burned by wildfires in 2020. There are legitimate concerns about the economy, the future of oil in Alaska, and a national unemployment rate that is double what it was a year ago. Meanwhile the earth is all messed up, glaciers are receding, honeybees are in danger, natural disasters are going crazy, and we are told that if we don’t do something different, we are going to destroy our planet.
Imagine earth from space. It is covered with fires and virus and divisive issues. To your left is an asteroid and to your right is an alien. One says to the other, “who’s next?” It seems the bad just piles on top of the bad. What is next? Probably some bad stuff, but certainly God’s goodness.
If public news doesn’t scare you, pay attention to what is happening in the personal lives of the people you know. There is someone you know who is struggling with a terrifying diagnosis, someone you know who is overwhelmed by what is happening in the lives of their children, someone you know who is crippled by fear.
When I say, “There is so much good in the future you’re afraid of!” You might be thinking, “pastor, you have no idea what I am facing”. And I probably don’t. Your experience is unique to you. But fear is not unique to your experience. This side of the story is real.
If we are not careful our Christian beliefs can result in fear instead of faith. After all, we believe in a powerful enemy who seeking to devour us! How will I take care of my family in the time of trouble? When is the close of probation? What about the Sunday law? Will I be able to stand in persecution? Remain in his love and you’ll be alright!
We have all been guilty of coming to conclusions that get us all worked up before we realizing that there is another side to the story. The fear report has some truth in it. But there is another side to the story that you need to listen to. The Israelites didn’t do this and it left them crippled in fear.
There is so much good in the future you are afraid of!
ACTION #2- GIVE THE GOOD NEWS MORE AIRTIME, AND THE BAD NEWS LESS!
After we have listened to both sides of the story, we get to choose which one we keep listening to. We are all listening to some report. Our world is filled with people who have spied out the future and want to share their report. We get to choose which reports gets the most airtime in our life.
The Israelites gave more airtime to the ten than the two. When we let the bad news get more airtime than the good, fear takes over.
Fear overemphasizes the bad news! The longer we listen the more intense and exaggerated the bad gets. As it continues to get airtime the bad report moves from saying the people are “strong” (v28) to saying, “they are stronger than we are” (v31), and eventually they are portrayed as giants who devour people (v32). The fear you experience now might be fueled by an exaggerated report.
Fear adopts a scarcity mentality!
Numbers 13:29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.
They took all the good land. Fear wants us to believe that all the good stuff is taken. There are no more good jobs, no more good spouses, and no more opportunities. There is a lot you might fear. But never fear that God will run out of resources or fail to provide. He created everything out of nothing! He has good things for you too!
Fear silences the good news!
When Caleb says, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” (v30), fear responds, “We are not able to go up against the people” (v31).
There were clusters of grapes that couldn’t be carried by one man! How did they forgot that there was so much good in their future? There was good news; it was just silenced by fear.
Fear forgets the God factor!
The bad report tells of how weak we are and how powerful others are, but it never once mentions God. Read the report. God is not in it. They saw the opposition, but they couldn’t see the miracles. They imagined that they would have to do it all on their own strength. Didn’t they remember the plagues? The Red Sea? Sinai? The cloud by day and fire by night? None of that happened by their own strength. Fear is good at telling us that we are not enough, but it fails to reminds us that God is.
Fear leads us to assume the worst of ourselves and then projects that low view onto others!
Numbers 13:33 We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
The reality is that when the Israelites finally did go into the promise land, the people were melting in fear of them (Joshua 2:11). But fear says, “You are too weak and everyone knows it.”
We also hear from the ten and the two. Fear has a report, but we don’t have to give it so much airtime. That might require us to unfriend, unfollow or unsubscribe. If you’re letting reports into your life that are crippling you in fear you need to limit their airtime. Either the good report is strong enough to call us into God’s good future or the bad report is strong enough to keep us from it.
There is so much good in the future you’re afraid of! But you won’t go there if you let fear have all the airtime.
ACTION #3- REGULATE YOUR EMOTIONS WITH TRUTH!
Remember, fear is an emotion. Not an authoritative voice on reality. Not an absolute truth.
By chapter 14, the people had emotionally deteriorated into an irrational panic. Fear is contagious. They had an outbreak. They cried all night (v1). They grumbled against their leaders and said crazy stuff like, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness!” (v2).
Then they questioned God.
Numbers 14:3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
It’s ok to question God, but when we do, we need to stick around for his answer. Their question was good, “Why is the Lord bringing us into this land?”. God’s answer would have reminded them that there is so much good in the future they were afraid of. But instead of letting God answer with truth, they concluded that God had only led them out to let them die. Unchecked fear will lead us to question God!
Numbers 14:4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
Fear will turn you around and point you back into the bondage God has delivered you from. Their emotions told them they would be better off in Egypt. If they would have let truth regulate their emotions they would have known that they would be better off in Canaan, the very land they were afraid of. Uncheck fear will lead you to abandon God’s plan.
Caleb and Joshua shared some words of truth that should have helped the people regulate their emotions, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” (Numbers 14:7-9)
You might expect a people who had been led so powerfully by God to respond by saying, “You are right. We got a bit carried away with our emotions. We forgot about God being on our side. Thanks for setting us straight again!”
But that is not what happened.
Numbers 14:10 Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
For suggesting that God is able and that they should trust him, then people wanted to kill them. When we are emotionally maxed, like our culture is right now, we quickly jump to irrational extremes. Fear will drive us to extremism, truth will bring us back. When we close our ears to reason and truth, we put ourselves at risk of engaging in some very regrettable behavior.
FEAR WASTES TIME THAT COULD BE SPENT IN GOD’S GOOD FUTURE!
There was so much good in the future the Israelites were afraid of. But they didn’t listen to both sides of the story. They didn’t give the good news more airtime, and the bad news less! They didn’t regulate their emotions with truth. And the result was that they spent an extra 40 years in the wilderness before continuing into the good future God had for them.
They were crippled by fear. The combined stories of Exodus and Leviticus and the first 14 chapters of Numbers take just over a year. But the next 7 chapters take 40 years. Fear wastes time!
They knew the bondage of slavery in Egypt and now they knew the bondage of slavery to fear. They saw the power of the plagues in Egypt now they are plagued by crippling fear that won’t let them inherit the Promised Land. They saw the army of Egypt drown in the Red Sea and now they are drowning in their own fear.
They missed out! They could have been eating watermelon sized grapes instead of manna. They could have seen the Jordan stop flowing while they crossed. They could have seen the walls of Jericho fall. They could have seen God’s promise become reality. But fear kept them from walking into God’s good future! There is something at stake when we don’t move into the future, something bigger than an earthly Canaan.
Which is scarier, to walk forward into an uncertain future or to stop walking?
They preferred to die in the wilderness (14:2) than to face their fear. God gave them what they wanted (14:29). The future is inevitable. You either move into the future or you die. Those are your options.
There is a reason that, after those 40 years, God’s message to Joshua was, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
After the accident in 2017, Nic Wallenda realized, for the first time, that fear affected him. He had to worked through PTSD and process his fear. In 2020 he published a book called Facing your Fear. It’s subtitled: Step out in faith and rise above what’s holding you back.
Nic Wallenda got back on the wire again. Last March, Nic successfully attempted the longest and highest high wire walk ever. It was the length of 6 football fields and over an active volcano. Nic is vocal about his faith in God and he has a platform to inspire people around the world. If Nic would have continued to be crippled by his fear be would have stayed in the desert, and missed out on all that good God had for his future.
Fear is real in our lives. But it doesn’t have to cripple us. Get back on the wire and walk. There is so much good in the future you’re afraid of!