According to a public opinion poll, 40% of Americans fear public speaking, 36% fear heights, and 34% fear being closed in small spaces. According to these statistics, when I step into the pulpit to preach, my fear factor on a scale of 1-100 should be about 110. People ask me all the time if I still get nervous when I preach. The answer to that question is yes. To handle the Word of God and deal with things eternal ought to make us tremble, but there is a difference between awe and angst. I think that is what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples, “I tell you my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. Instead, fear him who, after killing the body, has the power to throw you into hell” (Luke12: 4-5).

We live in an age of anxiety and fear. If t…