Bill was watching the grizzly very closely. Very closely. It was only fifty yards or so away now and closing, a huge, brown, mountain of muscle, claws, teeth and fur ambling toward him, loudly sniffing the air. It was the biggest bear Bill had ever seen in his decades as a wilderness adventurer – by far. And it was getting closer and closer.
An hour ago, through a pair of binoculars, Joe had seen the bear approaching. He had wondered if the bear’s path would cross their own and had warned Bill of the possibility. “It’s a mile away!” Bill had replied, smiling at Joe’s concern. “It has no idea we’re here. We’ll just keep out of its way.”
“It’s a really big bear, Bill,” Joe had pointed out. “And if its hunting, we’ll be on its menu for sure.”
Bill had just rolled his eyes. “It has no idea we’re here. Relax. It doesn’t have a pair of binoculars, too, y’know. We’ll just keep an eye on it and avoid it if we have to.”
Joe had shrugged in response, yielding to Bill’s reasoning. The likelihood they’d actually encounter the bear face-to-face was slim, given the vast valley they were in. And they did have the binoculars.
But, occupied with the world around them, its beauty, grandeur and endless points of interest, in short order, both Bill and Joe forgot about the bear.
And now, here it was, only yards away and closing. Bill was cursing himself for not keeping an eye on the massive creature. It was enormous! How could he have lost track of it?! And now the bear was looking right at him, very still, very focused.
“Psst!” Joe hissed at Bill from a thick branch about ten feet up a towering conifer. “Up here! It’s too big to climb very far. Quick! Give me your hand! I’ll pull you up!”
Bill stood, heedless of Joe’s words, transfixed by the bear thumping toward him. Smashing through bushes and saplings, their leaves and branches scattering in a shower of debris to either side of it, heavy clods of mud and grass flung into the air by its massive claws, the bear charged straight at Bill.
“Bill!” Joe screamed, “Take my hand! Take my hand!”
He couldn’t look away. His mind caught by the sight of the terrible roaring danger, his thoughts narrowed to the sights and sounds of the fanged doom rushing toward him, his attention bound by the horror lunging for his throat, Bill was oblivious to the escape offered to him by Joe.
Tears coursed down Joe’s face as he scrambled to the topmost branches of the tree, agonized sobbing shaking his body. He could hear the grizzly crashing away through the underbrush with its meal. Why had Bill just stood there? Why? He could have escaped! Why didn’t Bill take his hand?
The bear knew why. Many were the animals he had killed, frozen in fear at his approach. Fear was a weapon, he knew, as cruel and effective as his claws and teeth; fear mesmerized and paralyzed his prey; fear could blind his prey to avenues of escape – but only so long as he could keep his prey fixed on him. From long experience, he knew not to chase after any prey that looked away from him as he charged. They were sure to flee and it was just too much effort shifting his massive bulk in pursuit. He knew he could always find easier prey, creatures that could be trapped by fear. Like the one he was enjoying right now.
Psalm 37:39-40
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Isaiah 26:3-4
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
An hour ago, through a pair of binoculars, Joe had seen the bear approaching. He had wondered if the bear’s path would cross their own and had warned Bill of the possibility. “It’s a mile away!” Bill had replied, smiling at Joe’s concern. “It has no idea we’re here. We’ll just keep out of its way.”
“It’s a really big bear, Bill,” Joe had pointed out. “And if its hunting, we’ll be on its menu for sure.”
Bill had just rolled his eyes. “It has no idea we’re here. Relax. It doesn’t have a pair of binoculars, too, y’know. We’ll just keep an eye on it and avoid it if we have to.”
Joe had shrugged in response, yielding to Bill’s reasoning. The likelihood they’d actually encounter the bear face-to-face was slim, given the vast valley they were in. And they did have the binoculars.
But, occupied with the world around them, its beauty, grandeur and endless points of interest, in short order, both Bill and Joe forgot about the bear.
And now, here it was, only yards away and closing. Bill was cursing himself for not keeping an eye on the massive creature. It was enormous! How could he have lost track of it?! And now the bear was looking right at him, very still, very focused.
“Psst!” Joe hissed at Bill from a thick branch about ten feet up a towering conifer. “Up here! It’s too big to climb very far. Quick! Give me your hand! I’ll pull you up!”
Bill stood, heedless of Joe’s words, transfixed by the bear thumping toward him. Smashing through bushes and saplings, their leaves and branches scattering in a shower of debris to either side of it, heavy clods of mud and grass flung into the air by its massive claws, the bear charged straight at Bill.
“Bill!” Joe screamed, “Take my hand! Take my hand!”
He couldn’t look away. His mind caught by the sight of the terrible roaring danger, his thoughts narrowed to the sights and sounds of the fanged doom rushing toward him, his attention bound by the horror lunging for his throat, Bill was oblivious to the escape offered to him by Joe.
Tears coursed down Joe’s face as he scrambled to the topmost branches of the tree, agonized sobbing shaking his body. He could hear the grizzly crashing away through the underbrush with its meal. Why had Bill just stood there? Why? He could have escaped! Why didn’t Bill take his hand?
The bear knew why. Many were the animals he had killed, frozen in fear at his approach. Fear was a weapon, he knew, as cruel and effective as his claws and teeth; fear mesmerized and paralyzed his prey; fear could blind his prey to avenues of escape – but only so long as he could keep his prey fixed on him. From long experience, he knew not to chase after any prey that looked away from him as he charged. They were sure to flee and it was just too much effort shifting his massive bulk in pursuit. He knew he could always find easier prey, creatures that could be trapped by fear. Like the one he was enjoying right now.
______
Are you like Bill? Have you been trapped by fear, paralyzed by it, so focused on it, you can see no way of escape from it? God never tells us in His word to fix our minds and hearts upon our fears. Instead, He commands us to "look unto Jesus," to "consider him" and to "behold his glory" (Hebrews 12:2-3; 2 Corinthians 3:18) We are to meditate, not upon those things that terrify us, but upon the holy, eternal, light-giving truth of God's word, the word that reveals to us God Almighty, our Savior and "ever-present help in time of trouble." Just look away from your fear to him.
Psalm 37:39-40
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Isaiah 26:3-4
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
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