I’m not sure if you’ve heard about it, but there’s an election tomorrow. That’s the big deal for Tuesday; what’s in store for Wednesday?

The campaigns for the Top Spot have devolved over the last few weeks; they were already bouncing around the lowest common denominator, but in the race to the finish, the temptation to go-low has prevailed. “Hope” in America is an endangered sensation; “fear” has moved in to take control.

The reality of human existence is not restricted to the election season; it’s always operative. The fear of loss is a more powerful motivator than the opportunity for gain. Even when expressed at the most trivial level – as evidenced in “FOMO” (the Fear of Missing Out) – you can bend behavior by playing the keyboard of rational – or, irrational – fear.

Chapman University conducts a survey each year to measure the causes of fear in America. Their 2024 results have just been reported; their overall assessment is that “Americans are becoming more afraid in general, about everything.” 

What are people afraid of, right now? Here are the Top 10, with the saturation percentage for each.

1) Corrupt government officials (65%)
2) Serious illness of loved ones (58%)
3) Cyberterrorism (58%)
4) Death of loved ones (58%)
5) Russia going nuclear (56%)
6) Running out of money (56%)
7) US involvement in a world war (55%)
8) North Korea going nuclear (55%)
9) Terrorist attacks (53%)
10) Biological warfare (53%)

As we put our heads above the fog of politics, can you see – objectively – the manner in which the campaigns have managed to play to the fears of the voting public while vilifying the opposition? Laying out a path into a positive future has disappeared from the political discourses; declaring the “death of democracy” or the elimination of the middle class have become the breaking-news leads in the front-line reporting that now masquerade as headlines. 

In the midst of the fray, there’s a misconception that it’s courageous to declare oneself as “fearless.” I only have one page here; let me cut to the chase: to be truly fearless is to be deluded, or dead. Everyone – everyone – is afraid; fear keeps us alive. Fear isn’t the problem; unfounded fear is.

Tomorrow’s newspapers will be out-of-date by the weekend; the Word of God will be rock-solid until the end of time. The Scriptures make the reality of fear – and the appropriate incorporation of fear into the best life blueprint – a vital prerequisite for meaningful life:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

Most of the ballots cast in this election – by mail, yesterday, or at the polls, tomorrow – will be submitted by citizens who are acting out of fear. One of the competing voices has won the battle for fear in the emotional vortex of people’s decision maker; the candidate/cause with the most frightening picture of the chaos that is guaranteed if the other side wins will likely prevail in the tally.

Here’s God’s approach, which is not confined to Election Day 2024, but operative in every nation and era until the real Kingdom commences: start with a healthy fear of God as the basis for your personal wisdom, and then operate with well-founded fearlessness about everything else.

King David offers his inspired affirmation:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1)

With God – and His wisdom – as our basis for all of our decision making, we can operate above the fray of the hostility that now characterizes our national democratic experience. It’s time to reject the attempts to frighten us into submission and to exercise our higher potential:

“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach Him? But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

He’s not afraid; nor should we be. Exercise your courage; do what He would do tomorrow…