Fear of the Unknown

“As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said;" 1 Kings 17. 8 - 16

The widow in Zarephath to whom Elijah was sent was preparing to feed the last of her morsels to herself and her son knowing that they would soon die of starvation. She was a Gentile, a Canaanite, but in Elijah she recognized the God of Abraham about whom she had heard. Her trust in God overcame her fear of starvation, teaching us a great lesson about God...God is in the known and the unknown, and the sooner we recognize that the sooner we are relieved of fear.

In my world right now, half the people are elated and half the people are devastated. Until the election, there was a great unknown and perhaps we all feared it. But for half the people, what we feared in the unknown has become known, and as we pick up the pieces I suspect many of us are finding that God was already there.

This week I have bumped into people who were not cautious about expressing their feelings and opinions about the outcome of the election. I have learned a lot about people's character and their lack of discretion. Prior to the election, the fear of the unknown propelled me to speak openly about what I believed hoping that what we feared would not happen. Now that the unknown is known, I have lost my need to speak my mind. Instead, nodding and listening and then walking away seems to be the most gracious thing to do, knowing that God is there in the known, the situation in which we find ourselves, and God will provide, even when I fear we have run out of what we need.

Where have you been afraid of the unknown, but relieved when you discovered God was already there ? Remember the widow of Zarephath, and give thanks. It might save your life.

Bernardo Strozzi 1581-1644