Do Right. Don’t Fear!

“Do what is right and do not give way to fear.” This is the admonition that Peter gives in 1 Peter 3:6 when he is speaking about Sarah who was trapped in a harem, with no way out and how she relied on her Heavenly Father to show her the way out. This is such a simple yet incredibly difficult statement. Because sometimes doing what is right fills you with fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of repercussions. Fear of mockery. Fear of losing something. Fear of losing it all. Even fear for your life. I think of the story of Esther who risked her life to stand before the king and ask for the life of the Jewish people. I think of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who stood before the king and said we will not bow. I think of Daniel who openly prayed knowing full well the consequences. In modern days, I remember the student who stood in front of the tanks in Tiananmen Square. Rosa Parks who sat in a seat on the bus and said, “No, I am not moving.” People like Ghandi, Mandela, and Mother Theresa. There’s a line in The Red Badge of Courage that says, “Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to do what we must.” Can you imagine what was going through that guy’s head as he stood in front of those tanks rolling down the street? Did he think he would stop them? Did he think he would be crushed under the treads? Did Rosa think she would start a fire that would change the course of civil rights in America? Did the boys think about the punishment of not bowing to the king — a fiery furnace of death? These people, and so many others throughout history, have chosen to do what they knew to be right in the face of great opposition and stand in the face of fear. I recall when I was a student at Bob Jones University, there were sayings at the front of the classrooms. One of the sayings that Dr. Bob used to say all the time was, “Do Right. Do right until the stars fall.”

And I don’t know why we struggle with doing right sometimes. We know it inside like it is written clearly in black and white, yet when the situation comes, we waffle around. We are afraid of offending someone, or looking foolish or out of touch. We allow people to define our convictions or rather, move us from the place of standing firm on our convictions. They use manipulation, shame, or even bribery. We find ourselves making excuses for letting things slip a little and suddenly we find ourselves in a place we never imagined we would be. That fear of man has moved us from a place of “doing right” to a place of compromise and apathy. Standing in a place of conviction requires courage. Jesus states so well it in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5) when He says “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.” 

Confidence whilst walking in truth and conviction with love requires such a balancing act, doesn’t it? But giving way to fear is exactly what the enemy of our souls is hoping for. Paul exhorts us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. Knowing this reality is what gives us the ability to do what is right. For if God is with us, fear can not abide. For if God is with us, who can be against us? Remember that old Twila Paris song — “The battle is the Lord’s and HE will conquer all our enemies. He will not fail!”

“The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
Look up, O you of little faith; let doubting cease.
The battle is the Lord’s; He works in a mysterious way.
‘Tis not by might, nor power, but see His spirit move today.
Unprofitable servants we; our duty done, we must watch for his victory,
so, fearful one, be still and trust.”
— Ruth Bell Graham