Recently my Uncle Greg shared his experiences serving in the Vietnam War with a team for Crash and Rescue in Guam. His team was responsible for saving as many men as possible once a plane in flames had landed.
As part of his training, the men were given exercises on handling fear to equip them for what they would encounter. One day, the men were taken out on the ocean in a boat. The place where the boat finally stopped was not only very deep, but also the most shark-infested spot.
Each man was given some shark repellant known as “Shark Chaser,” and told to jump in and stay submerged for five minutes.
Greg felt fear beginning to rise as the boat slowed to a stop. Aside from a pouch of repellant, each man was on his own against the sharks. As he jumped into the water, Greg activated his shark repellant in the air—he wasn’t going to wait until he was submerged and give the sharks a head start! The problem with this strategy was that they were told not to activate the repellant until after they were in the water as it was only effective for a few minutes in blinding the sharks.
While my uncle survived the “fear” exercise, his recounting of this experience was a vivid lesson to those of us around the table.
In a briefing before the exercise, Greg’s commander had told them that the only way the men would survive and accomplish this was to believe that they would make it through. This was the only way, because the greatest danger they faced was not the sharks but their own fear. When the sharks came close, instead of thrashing and attempting to get away, they must remain still.
The greatest danger they faced was their own fear, so the only effective defensive they had was belief.
These words from his commander ring true in our own lives. Fear is our greatest danger, for fear can consume us before we even hit the water. Yet even if we make it into the water without fear, we will still encounter the sharks. In the moment when fear approaches and we are ready to flail and flee, we need to remain still.
This is the exercise of faith. As Greg’s commander told the men that day, it is the exercise of belief. We must take the first step to victory by believing that we will get through by putting our faith in the One who is with us and has already won the ultimate victory for us.
Even as we walk in belief, the sharks will still come. When fear is ready to consume us, we need to be still and know that God is sovereign and good. We fight fear by employing trust in the truth that God does all things well and will use this to bring us up to the surface in victory.
Just as Greg and the other men needed to conquer their fear to equip them for battle, the Lord uses experiences in our own lives to equip and make us stronger for the spiritual battle before us.
When we are surrounded and face to face with what the enemy would use to destroy us, we must be still in the covering of God’s love for us by trusting that He fights on our behalf. By facing our greatest danger with belief and trust, we arise with a stronger faith in the Lord that equips us for the next attack.
As we begin a new year, may we remember to walk in belief in God’s deliverance so that when the sharks approach, we will not give in to the greater danger of fear. May we enter this year believing that no matter what comes, we will get through because the Lord is with us and He is strengthening our faith in the deep and dark places. For He is good and does all things well.
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 46:10-11
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