{"id":1792,"date":"2013-01-09T07:48:25","date_gmt":"2013-01-09T14:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/billintheblank\/?p=1792"},"modified":"2013-01-09T07:48:25","modified_gmt":"2013-01-09T14:48:25","slug":"want-to-stop-being-afraid-step-1-remember-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2013\/01\/want-to-stop-being-afraid-step-1-remember-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to Stop Being Afraid? Step 1: Remember God"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Welcome to the first in a series here at Patheos to follow up on my post\u00a0How to Stop Being Afraid with wisdom from Psalm 46.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It seems simple enough. But I, for one, am quick to forget it when I consider the How to Stop Being Afraid<\/a>. The first step according to Psalm 46 <\/a>is remembering who God is.<\/p>\n

Sounds too easy, I know. It\u2019s when we think that we must face the challenges of life on our own that we tremble in fear.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Confession of a Cowardly Principal<\/h3>\n

Perhaps a personal story will illustrate. Several years ago when I was serving as the principal of a thriving Christian school, a basketball official made several terrible calls (no surprise there) during a game. One fan from the opposing team protested from the stands. The official stopped the game and threw the fan out of the gym.<\/p>\n

For those of you who don\u2019t know how high school sports work, when the official throws a fan out of the game, he or she doesn\u2019t actually throw them out. They tell them to go. It is then up to the home team school administration to ensure that the offending fan leaves the gym. If not, the official will penalize the home team.<\/p>\n

In this instance, the fan continued to protest as he moved slowly toward the door. Finally, he stopped just inside the door, waiting to see if the official would notice. He did. I happened to be sitting right there. The official came over and repeated the last warning for the fan to leave.<\/p>\n

The fan finally did with a huff and a puff, grumbling something unintelligible but likely not supportive. I sat there for just a minute debating how to handle the situation. I agreed with the fan that the officials were pretty bad. And yet I had a duty to ensure everyone was kept safe, no fists punched through walls, etc. Still, I\u2019d rather not end up on a YouTube video for another episode of \u201cFans Gone Wild.\u201d<\/p>\n

I must confess to feeling a little bit of fear at the prospect of going out in the hall to face a total stranger who was already pretty angry about something completely out of my control. Then it hit me.<\/p>\n

Sitting right next to me was a former student who was now a professional basketball player. Translation, he was pretty tall. And he worked out a lot. Plus he owed me for letting him survive high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d I leaned over to him covertly. \u201cCome with me for a minute.\u201d Since I still had that principal superpower over him, he stood and followed me. I paused before walking out the door of the gym and told him, \u201cI need to talk to somebody. I just want you to stand behind me.\u201d He did. And all was well.<\/p>\n

Now I didn\u2019t really need someone to go with me, of course. Don\u2019t be silly. I could have taken the guy. If I had to. It just helped to know who was standing behind me.<\/p>\n

In the same way, the psalmist starts Psalm 46 by reminding us who it is who stands behind us. Or better, who goes before us.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod is\u2026.\u201d He begins with the name of God \u2014 Elohim.<\/em> Whatever else follows is, by definition, secondary. Important, but not the main thing.<\/p>\n

Why? There is a relationship between the absence of fear and the acceptance of truth.<\/p>\n

A Few Observations about the Place of Faith<\/h3>\n

A few observations about the psalmist\u2019 choice to start with \u201cGod is\u2026.\u201d:<\/p>\n