And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:41).
Some people think religion was invented by man to deal with the struggles and adversities of life. But man would hardly invent the God described in the Scriptures, a God who is holy, pure, judgmental, and unapproachable.
In Mark 4, the apostle describes the event in Jesus’ ministry when He calmed the sea of Galilee. When Jesus rebuked the winds, the disciples were filled with great fear. Any fear they had of the storm paled in comparison to the fear they had of the power and authority of Jesus Christ. Wouldn’t it be odd if the God they “invented” to quell their fear of the storm created an even greater and more traumatizing fear—a deep sense of dread and foreboding that stemmed from God Himself? Of course, this would defeat the goal that psychologists and humanist philosophers say man is trying to achieve in his “creation” of religion. This is not to say that men do not try to invent gods, that they do not set up idols of their own making. But the gods they create are not holy as God is holy. They have no power to rebuke the storm and to fill the heart of man with fear and reverence.
Freud said that religion is provoked by a psychological need to protect our psyches from the impersonal forces of nature. It is certainly true that man is afraid of nature and its seemingly uncontrollable power. Man, even with all the scientific advances in technology, stands helpless before the tornado, the hurricane, and even something as microscopic as a virus. Such helplessness creates fear in the heart of man. We certainly see this fear in the account of the disciples in the storm. They were afraid of the storm and they turned to Christ for help, to the one person who was not afraid of the storm.
Jesus helped by issuing a command to an impersonal force. In a loud voice, He said “Peace, be still.” Instantly, the sea became calm. Everything was at peace except the disciples. The threat of nature had been removed, but their fear increased, and they asked, “What manner of man is this?” He was a holy man who was transcendent. Freud was right. We are frightened by impersonal forces of nature. But a tornado is not holy. As terrifying as it may be, it is not as terrifying as personal holiness. God is not an impersonal force like nature. He is personal, and He is holy. And therein lies the dread and fear of men.
Is it right for people to be afraid of God? Is it right for Christians to fear the God of the Bible? What kind of fear should you have of God? If religion is a crutch to help man overcome the fears of life, why is he so afraid to face God? Memorize Isaiah 8:13–14 or one of the other verses below on the fear of God.
