Once again Max Lucado manages to bring the message of The Bible to life through simple real-life anecdotes. I’m a huge Max Lucado fan, having read—or reread—three of his prior books. In Fearless, Max examines the reasons so many of us live in fear, from problems with our health, families, and the economy, to the simple desire to fit-in in a fast-paced world. Then, he highlights Bible passages where God reminds us He never intended for us to live our lives in fear. Instead, our faith should serve to quell those fears.
Reading Fearless was like sitting by the fire with Max as he quietly explained, “Fear herds us into prison and slams the door.” He’s correct when he points out that our anxiety stems from a concern that we don’t matter, either to others here on earth, or to God. He goes on to say, “Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness and causes us to forget what God has done.” According to Max, when fear strikes, we tend to grasp at controlling that which we believe we can control, and safety becomes our primary goal. At that point, we worship a risk-free life, and nothing great is ever accomplished in safety.
For over 200 pages, Max identifies the real-life situations that scare us the most. He also points out that today’s media brings real disaster to our living rooms, and he reminds us through statistics of the constant risk of eating the wrong foods, drinking polluted water, or living in a dangerous city. Then, with a calm, fatherly voice, he provides scriptural evidence that God does care for us, that God has not, and will not, abandon us. God calls us to “Fear Not”, to have courage, and to pray in times of crisis. Max’s message is clear: We don’t have to be afraid. We can choose faith over fear.
I must confess that as a Christian, I succumb to fear all too often. It’s no coincidence I chose to read Fearless. While I’m a work in progress, I thank Max Lucado for Fearless, and I’ll try to recall its wisdom the next time the world throws me a curve ball—which should be sometime tomorrow.