By Mark Tanner

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25

This verse is so relevant today in and more ways than some may think. Today’s interpretation of the ‘fear of man’ is being anxious, scared or wary, manifesting in being constantly worried about the actions of others, whether they be individual or collective.

We are constantly hearing about shootings, knife attacks and arson, perpetrated by individuals or small groups. Also, we read or watch reports of wars and conflicts, where people live in constant fear of bombings, starvation, disease and all the horrors that are present in places such as Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar to name but a few. A quick Google search showed me there are 120 armed conflicts currently in progress around the world, and those are only the ones reported on.

This is harrowing enough for us to hear, let alone imagining the fear through which those victims are living at this very moment. These people are definitely in a snare, a trap from which they have very little hope of escape.

However, there is another ‘snare’ for many of us that are not living in the dreadful situations outlined above. The Old testament meaning of ‘fear’ was not only confined to physical fear but to state we would now call awe or wonder. The fear of the Lord is not about being scared of him but more about living in awe of him. So how does this fear apply to man and how is this a snare?

Some are blindly following the ‘self-made’ men and women who are the influencers of today. Both young and old are flocking to people who promote affluence, exclusion and selfishness, which can lead to division, arrogance and even hatred, whether that be on the basis of race, colour or religion and sometimes all three. These false idols abound on social media, in pressure groups and politics, leaders in governments, gangs, cartels and other organisations. Their followers, leaving behind their own rational thinking, adopt their distorted views. They believe that they are their saviours who will deliver them into a better life.

Some are constantly striving to please them, caring about what they think and wanting to be noticed by them, so they can become part of their hallowed circle.

The snares these followers walk into can be greed, avarice, hubris, and violence, fuelled by the hatred and fury preached by their gods. The snares grow ever bigger and bind even tighter, pulling them deeper into their own soul-sapping cocoon.

How can we help prise them out of these snares?

Prayer is the very first option, asking that they will find a spark of faith in their darkest moments that will pierce their heart and allow Jesus into their lives. Better still, if we are able and have the opportunity, we could speak or demonstrate to them that hate and division are separating them from God’s love.

As Paul asks us in Romans 10:14, ‘How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?’

We may not all be preachers but all of us have a voice, our own story and a love of God. He will give us the words we need and the opportunities to speak, if we ask him. God would love us to be part of turning people to fear him and not man and in so doing, we would be helping them to break free, change their thoughts and be kept safe by God.