Article August 18, 1997 Issue

No more fear of snakes

Marilyn C. Jones

When we find ourselves in situations where we're fearful, what exactly is at work? It's more than the outward situation, really. It is the mistaken thought that God, good, is absent and that evil is in control. In reality, however, God is ever present and all-powerful, the giver of all good, just as the Bible says (see I Chron. 29:11, 12). Neither fear nor evil can be part of His creation.

I learned to recognize the deceptive nature and unreality of fear by studying the experience of Moses and the serpent (see Ex. 4:1-5). Moses tells God that he is afraid to lead the people out of Egypt because no one will believe he is a messenger from God. God tells Moses to throw down his rod. Suddenly, to Moses' perception, the rod becomes a serpent, and Moses runs away. Yet God tells Moses to return and to handle the serpent—to face his fear.

Moses is obedient and does so, and he discovers that the serpent is really the same rod he had thrown down. Moses is then ready to go forth and perform the tasks God has commanded him to do. This experience, which revealed the unreality of evil, becomes something for Moses to rely on.

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