12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
Have you ever been so gripped by fear that it felt as though a riot were happening inside your body? Riots are uncontrollable events and you can never be sure which way they will turn. That is exactly what can happen with fear. Once it starts to rise up, sometimes you just can’t seem to control yourself. This can be true even when you know intellectually that your fear reaction is out of proportion to the threat. For Zechariah, this fear was a proportioned fear. Seeing a real messenger from God would scare the pants off any normal person. But here Zechariah is in the most sacred place on earth at the time. God had shown up there in the past and people had died. This was no ordinary space; this space was God’s space. And now Zechariah is there by himself doing his duty to God on behalf of God’s people. No one was allowed in this space besides Zechariah. There were never any unexpected visitors. But that day was different. An angel shows up and Zechariah has a riot of fear break out inside him. Have you ever been temporarily overcome with fear! Has fear become an overwhelming condition in your life? Remember that in Zechariah’s world, no one saw God and lived. Their history was filled with fear at seeing angels appear. And I am sure if we were in the same situation today, we would react identically to Zechariah. Fear would be rioting inside us as well. So what do we do with our fears? I am not talking about the ordinary, everyday fears. I am talking about those riotous fears that overwhelm and consume us, perhaps even dominating our lives. The first thing to do is submit our fears to the Lord. Remember, He is strong enough to overpower any enemy that might be attacking us. He has also promised to always be with us, to remain with us even in the darkest valleys. He is there with you in the fearful situation, right at your side. Reach out to Him and receive a peace that passes all understanding. Remember that fear can save your life, it is part of God’s design. So our lives will still have fear as a normal reaction to dangerous situations. Fear can be a good thing, if it is in proportion to the threat.
The Arnold Journey 