These are the ones who rightly fear, not the truth of their position or circumstance thereof, but the One who is Sovereign and Ruler of all.
As a child, I had nightmares. I’d wake up in a cold sweat, paralyzed with fright. I eventually outgrew those terrors only to have them replaced by others. Such is the human condition, learning to deal with the reality of fear.
Fear is such a normal part of life it seems impossible to imagine its absence. Lives are driven and shaped by it. There is no getting away from fear but how we respond to it is really what matters.
One of the most common ways people react to fear is trying to control the circumstances that cause it. With such a mindset we have no option but to “fear the truth of [our] position or circumstance thereof” because we mistakenly believe it has the final word. And so, we manipulate our surroundings believing they are the key to our peace. We must learn how to relinquish the fear of losing control and, instead, learn to fear the One who truly is in charge. This is called the fear of God.
Fear of God is not about being afraid but fully aware of his absolute authority over all the known and unknown universe. Though incomprehensible, we place our faith in this God of the Bible … this God who has revealed himself through the pages of history. This God—our God—strikes awe and wonder—not just love and gratitude—in those who truly know him. We are speechless before his awesome power and filled with praise before his magnificent glory. This is the fear of God.
As beggars before God, we understand that everything we have is on loan from him; so, we don’t fear its loss. When such divine awareness is cultivated, fear has no room to grow because we have learned that God really does know just what we need.
If any idea ever smacked of “fairy tale” surely it is this. Freedom from all our fears … really? Yes, because consistent and proactive time spent with God radically alters our perspective on who controls life. When this control paradigm begins to crumble so too will the strangle-hold of fear.
What about you? What about me? Do we fear the truth of our position in times of economic uncertainty? Do we fear our circumstances in times of sickness or seasons of pain? We don’t have to if we take time to become acquainted with our awesome, fearful, loving, and compassionate Father … “the One who is Sovereign and Ruler of all.” Next week we post our second animated poem as we begin discussing the topic of grace.
What Do You Think?
We have suggested that more time spent with God leads to less fear in our lives. How do you feel about this statement? Do you think there are exceptions?
♦ To see the video and poem this post is based on, click here.
