Does a sleepless, middle-of-the-night prayer of desperation sound familiar to you? Have you ever looked with your bleary eyes out of a bedroom window, seen the moon (perhaps one that looked like this), and wondered if the Creator of the universe was really listening, that He might not intervene to rescue you? Chris Tomlin and his two friends, Ed Cash and Scott Cash, would raise their hands and say ‘yes’; but, they’d also follow up that first answer with their own question: “Whom Shall I Fear?” After all, once you have discovered that He’s the “God of Angel Armies”, any fear only threatens a person whose vision is restricted to the typical physical-visual evidence. Is a challenging present or an uncertain future your enemy, or is the One who holds both those time periods – and you and me, by the way – in His hands, greater than that which makes you so anxious? Turn that dim moon into bright sunlight, these song composers advise.
Chris Tomlin relates the story of ‘Whom Shall I Fear?’ in a video discussion (see the New Song Café link below), and in a Worship Leader article; it was a prayer of an urgent moment, around 2013. Chris says his friend Ed Cash called him in the dead of night, with a request that only a close friend can make of another at that hour: ‘I need prayer’, he uttered, or probably more accurately, he and his wife needed Chris’ prayer on their behalf. Lots of anxiety had backed up on them, making rest impossible. So, what do musicians do in such a circumstance? They pick up their guitars and start talking to the One above as their fingers wander over the strings. Neither Chris nor Ed understand how the chorus tune thus emerged – it just did. They remember that it was also true that a story of an ancient prophet named Elisha had given them much-needed strength as they considered the situation. This prophet reassured his servant (2 Kings 6) that his fear was because he couldn’t see what was really going on. An enemy, perceptible to everyone who looked about themselves using the normal visual spectrum, had them surrounded. But, Elisha prayed his own prayer, asking God to open the eyes of the servant so that he’d see the Lord’s army of horses and chariots of fire, poised for battle in the hills. Elisha utters two other prayers in the succeeding episode, which the Lord also answers to provide protection and victory. But, it’s really the first of Elisha’s three prayers that Tomlin and the Cashes use to great effect. See that angel army, and be confident that He’s not content to stand by and watch His people suffer. Chris says fear is really the enemy (a la what a president once said), and not what the people of God are about. Instead, people of faith in Him should speak hope to a world filled with worry – about the future, unsteady finances and relationships, emotional and physical maladies, and really everything. So, take a page out of Elisha’s playbook – pray to Him for true sight.
Has it ever occurred to believers that even Jesus was not immune to the effects of worry? In the garden, anticipating what was to come, Jesus prayed and sweat poured off of Him like never before (Luke 22:41-43). But, He didn’t remain in that state…He prayed, as every account of that time tells us (Matthew, Mark, and John also). And, from that point on, after praying three times, his demeanor was one of stoic resolve, even while knowing what was coming. And, an intervening angel strengthened Him (Luke 22:43); a short time later, He said many more could have come if He’d needed them (vv.52-54). Another episode versus the devil likewise showed Jesus could count on angels, if necessary (Matthew 4:11). Jesus had contact with His Father. And, you and I have contacted Him. Is this equation too hard to follow, to see where it leads? How’s your eyesight now?
See the following site, which indicates the three songwriters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whom_Shall_I_Fear_(God_of_Angel_Armies)
See the site here for details on song’s development: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/chris-tomlin/whom-shall-i-fear-god-of-angel-armies
See here a video (New Song Café) in which one of the songwriters explains the song story: https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/whom-shall-i-fear-chris-tomlin/
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