On the Internet at “the Phobia Page,” there are hundreds of words that describe phobias. There is even a phobophobia, which is a fear of fears. People are afraid of all kinds of things: animals, cats, dogs, high places, low places, enclosed places, wide open places… you name it and there is a phobia for it.
This is amusing unless you have a phobia. Perhaps you have a fear of the dentist (dentophobia). More than likely, you have a fear of injections (trypanophobia), a fear of blood (hemophobia), of snakes (ophidiophobia), of strangers (xenophobia), computers (cyberphobia), or of the telephone (telephobia), to name just some common ones.
A phobia is a real and intensive fear. It is being afraid to such a degree that it can lead to terror, alarm, but even reverence, respect or awe. In extreme fear certain physiological things happen in the body: a person make shake, turn red, the heart beats fast, the breathing becomes difficult, thinking gets cloudy, the mouth is dry, the lips may quiver, the knees are weak, the stomach churns, and so forth. In many instances in the Scriptures someone is paralyzed with fear. They are immobilized, unable to move or perform normal functions.
Now if you have never been fearful, never afraid, then you are unusual. You can’t appreciate the way fear and being afraid effect people. Here are a few examples of when I experienced fear, which could (but fortunately did not) lead to phobias:
Suddenly losing my way [+ FEAR, + CONFUSION]:
· Example of fog on the roads in LA and ending up going the wrong way on Beach Blvd
· Example of smoke crossing the road in Lae, PNG and the resulting confusion
· Ending up confused and almost lost in a jungle in southern Mexico
Encountering the unexpected [+ FEAR, + SURPRISE]
· Returning home at dusk in the woods and having a pheasant suddenly fly up
· When jogging in Australia and suddenly having a kangaroo jump out in front of me
· Going down the runway and the pilot suddenly aborts the flight
Anticipating the expected [+ FEAR, + UNKNOWN]
· Going overseas for the first time
· Visiting the doctor or dentist
· A telephone call in the middle of the night
Experiencing something alone for the first time, even after preparation [+ FEAR, + KNOWN]
· Soloing in an airplane; Parapenting
· Giving a sermon or talk
· Picking up a snake
There are times for fear and wonderment, such as:
· Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen. 3.8-13) are afraid of God
· The guards at Jesus tomb (Mat. 28.4) who shook with fear
· The demons (Jas. 2.19) who believe and tremble
· Noah, in preparing the ark
· Abraham in offering his son Isaac
· The Egyptian midwives, who refused to take the lives of the Hebrew children
· The Egyptians in the time of the plagues
· Phinehas in turning away the anger of God at the time of the plague (Num. 25.6-15)
· Obadiah in sheltering 100 prophets (1 Kings 18.3-4) against Jezebel
· Nehemiah, in his reform (Neh. 5.15)
· Job, who is a good person, yet suffers terribly (Job 1.8)
· David, who is filled with wonder (Ps. 5.7, 119.38)
· Hezekiah, regarding the prophet Micah (Jer. 26.19)
· Jonah, in the tempest or whirlwind (Jon. 1.0)
· The women at the tomb (Mt. 28.8)
· Cornelius, who worshipped God (Acts 10.2)
There are also times when we should think about fear:
· In reverence to God and understanding his purposes
· Recognizing that perfect love casts out fear (and how some fears are instinctive and healthy)
· Recognizing where our fears come from, and that Satan is the father of lies
· Dealing with our fears through prayer, confession, and supporting fellowship
· Helping those who have the fear burden (although it is helpful to not know everything)
· Making the unknown known (what the imaginary fears are; what the real fears are)
· Having confidence that God knows what is best for us, and accepting circumstances as a way that He works out purposes in life (a theology of fear)
Fear and phobias are real, but so is God’s presence in our life. He can overcome our fears and give us confidence. For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control. (2 Timothy 1.7, GNT)
Karl Franklin
