Acorns, pickups, and submarines

By Dr. James C. Denison
President, The Center for Informed Faith, Dallas, Texas

February 17, 2009

Topic: conquering fear

Chicken Little thought the sky was falling because an acorn fell on her head. Wonder what she would think of the fireball that streaked across the Texas sky last Sunday.

People in this part of the world are still debating the nature of the occurrence. A fallen airplane was the first fear, sending police in a helicopter to look for a crash sight. We were then told that it might be debris from the satellites that collided over Siberia last Tuesday. The FAA even warned pilots to watch out for more of the same over the weekend. But then we were told that the debris belt, 500 miles above the Earth, could not have fallen this soon.

This morning we're hearing that the fireball was most likely a natural occurrence. Today's Dallas Morning News quotes an observatory manager who thinks it was a meteor the size of a pickup truck with the consistency of a chunk of concrete. I knew pickups were everywhere in Texas, but I didn't expect to see one fall from the sky.

If she read today's news, Chicken Little would be as frightened of the seas as the skies. This morning's New York Times tells us that two nuclear submarines collided while submerged on operational patrols in the Atlantic early this month. British and French defense ministries made the disclosure yesterday. Both vessels were damaged but returned safely to their home ports with their 250 crew members uninjured. Since both subs carry nuclear reactors and 16 ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, we're glad to hear that there was "no compromise to nuclear safety." Makes you wonder what else is swimming around out there.

Years ago, a friend assured me that "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you." There's your devotional thought for the day. As I write this morning's essay, I'm worried about finishing on time and then getting my other work done for the day. I'm not thinking about truck-sized meteors falling on my head or nuclear subs colliding in the Gulf of Mexico. And that's for the best. We can spend our day worrying about the bad that might happen and miss all the good that does.

Scripture assures us that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). What is your greatest fear today? Name it and give it to your Father right now. Know that you are in his hand (John 10:28), and that nothing can come to you without coming first to him. "Fear knocked—faith answered, and there was no one there." What's knocking at your door this morning?

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