I’d like to propose to the Scientific Community a third type of fear response. It is claimed that when faced with fear, our automatic response is either flight or fight. But I see that a third response is freeze. Whether our fear is so PASSIONATE that we don’t dare run away OR attack (like when you wake up and a T-Rex is about to sharpen it’s teeth on your slippers,) or whether our fear is more of a low-boil (like when your fear of choosing the wrong door on a game show causes you to choose neither door #1 OR door #2.)
Fear causes so many reactions, but perhaps the most deadly occurs when fear makes us freeze. Frozen folk don’t really respond… we don’t find victory, we don’t learn to face defeat, we don’t improve our situation, we can’t obey, we can’t build His kingdom, we can’t show faith, we can’t move towards hope, and we can’t love.
When we freeze we are luke-warm. And we know what Christ thinks about His luke-warm followers.
The Old Testament prophets that we call, “minor,” have a major message to give us. They spoke and wrote to people in crisis. And apparently, some of those people were frozen. Perhaps they were using their fear of Assyrians as buttress for laziness. Perhaps they were using their fear of having to change as an anchor for their foolishness. Perhaps they were using their fear of being wrong as a defense of error. But an astonishing number of these prophets weave an unusual solution to fear in their messages.
They say, “Don’t fear… get to work.”
Zephaniah says, “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.” (Zeph 3:16 ESV)
Zechariah says, “Fear not, but let your hands be strong.” (Zech 8:13 ESV)
Joel even tells the animals to fear not and get to work: : “Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield.” (Joel 2:22)
God saves His people. Because there is work to be done.
Fear not… get to work.