Scripture: Isaiah 8:12-13 – “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” (NRSV)
I remember by senior year high school English teacher. He was the “fun” teacher you got to have if you survived the “strict” teacher from junior year. The assignments were more creatively focused, and I enjoyed mildly harassing him between classes and drama club in the afternoon (at least until he attacked me with a katana, but that’s another story). But looking back, there was much about him that was sad, and one day, seemingly out of the blue, he started talking about how unless you went to particular private schools and attended particular elite universities, you had no real power to affect the world. The rest of us were just pawns in their game.
While there is some truth in what my teacher said that day, he came off as a bit of a conspiracy theorist, at least to my adolescent mind. It reminded me of the Illuminati, a secret society that controlled everything behind the scenes, or the “men in black” who kept the true nature of aliens from the people. What seemed to “explain so much” as a high schooler seemed foolish as I grew up. Human nature and political and social systems are too complicated to control completely, no matter how much money and influence one may have.
But just as I thought that conspiracy theories were a thing of the past, they have exploded into the public consciousness in recent years. There are the conspiracies that the earth is flat, that the moon landing was faked, that vaccines cause autism, that our leaders are lizard people that eat babies, or that foreign governments decide our elections. Many of these are easy to debunk, but why do these theories persist?
I am far from an expert, but I think much of it comes from a feeling of powerlessness and despair. You try to change the world or keep your family afloat and it seems like something is always blocking you. And since systems are so complicated, you look for any answer to explain things, and often malice from those in power seems the most likely. You grasp at anything, no matter how ludicrous, to get some kind of explanation.
This was the case back in the court of King Ahaz of Judah when the nations of Aram (or Syria) and Israel rebelled against their Assyrian overlords and invaded Judah. There was much strife across the region, and Ahaz and his people were leaping at every wild report out of panic. But the prophet Isaiah told him that in fear and uncertainty, one should not make wild leaps of logic, but stay true to one’s faith. He says, “But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” In other words, do not be overwhelmed by fear, but place those fears before God, who will bear them and save you.
Amidst our conspiracy theories and our worries, we face a tough truth that we are not in control of our lives. But this should not be a source of fear, for appearances to the contrary, our lives are not ultimately controlled by the rich and powerful or shadowy organizations, but by God. God is ultimately the one in charge, and our Lord calls into the Kingdom of God so that all may find justice and mercy. Let God be your dread, taking it from you and bringing peace to your troubled heart. When God is with us, as Isaiah told Ahaz through the prophecy of Immanuel, nothing is impossible.
Prayer: God, help me let go of my fear and my need to control and put my full trust in you. Amen.
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