Psalm 46:1-3 (Fear)
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” (Psalm 46:1–3).
Fear is a powerful emotion. It can motivate our hearts or stifle our minds.
Fear has the unique ability to be just as good (Godly fear) as it is bad (worldly fear) depending on how we view it. Therefore, we must determine to whom or what we’re afraid of, why we’re fearful, and how we’ll respond based upon our respective fears.
Scripture exhorts us to fear the Lord because He is holy and righteous, author of all Creation, and worthy of our utmost respect. He is sovereign overall. Therefore, Godly fear is universally dependent on exuding reverence before Him, hence our posture must be humble.
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28–29).
“The fear of God is the death of every other fear; like a mighty lion, it chases all other fears before it.”
On the opposite extreme, lack of Godly fear magnifies our pride and arrogance. It shows how dismissive we are of God’s grace, mercy, and blessings which He pours out for His creation. Yet while unbelievers dismiss any need for Godly fear, those who profess themselves followers of Jesus Christ should know better.
How then do we maintain a healthy dose of Godly fear when trials and tribulations tempt us to be consumed by worldly fear? The answer lies in whom or what we place our faith, hope, and trust for salvation.
SAVING FAITH:
The essence of saving faith is placing our hope and trust in God and His Word. For none of us were present when the books of the Bible were written, therefore a personal choice must be made whether we refute or believe the validity of Scripture and what it reveals about God and His relationship to man.
Keep in mind, there is a significant difference between general faith and saving faith. For we can believe what the Bible says is true, but are we willing to stake our lives on its inerrancy? Perhaps more pointedly, are we willing to surrender all, even our lives unto death if necessary, rather than reject Christ?
“It is not the pain but the purpose that makes a martyr.”
Many martyrs came face to face with that decision. Told by their accusers to renounce their faith in Christ or suffer torture, imprisonment, or death, countless souls transitioned from this life to the next resolute in their confession of faith in Jesus for their salvation, and personal conviction in the inspired inerrancy of Holy Scripture as their standard of absolute truth.
The sad truth is very few of us have any real experience being persecuted for our faith. Most of us live in countries which allow us to worship God freely, therefore we struggle understanding what it feels like to endure unfathomable pain and suffering for the Gospel like some of our brethren across the globe do.
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets” (Luke 6:22–23).
Therefore, we must be sensitive to the fact that millions of Christians throughout the past 2,000 years have willingly sacrificed their lives to preach the Gospel and preserve Biblical manuscripts so that because of their sacrifice, we can access God’s Word today and worship freely.
May we never forget that their blood literally paid the ransom for the freedoms we enjoy today. How then could we ever take their priceless gift for granted and cower from defending God’s Word because of worldly fear?
“Never did the church so much prosper and so truly thrive as when she was baptized in the blood. The ship of the church never sails so gloriously along as when the bloody spray of her martyrs falls on her deck. We must suffer and we must die, if we are ever to conquer this world for Christ.”
WORLDLY FEAR:
What then are we so afraid of in this world? For who has the power to crush our spirit other than God? He ransomed the grave and defeated sin through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whom then shall we fear?
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4–5).
The problem for most Christians is we are caught in an identity crisis. We don’t know who we are, or more importantly, to whom we belong. We think we exist to please ourselves, but self-preservation has left us thirsting for more and expecting a mirage to quench our thirst.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
No, if we have been born again, we are new creations in Christ and no longer slaves to our flesh where worldly fear resides. Rather, we have been set free from self-reliance to overcome our fears in exchange for peace and contentment through God’s sovereign provision.
“Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” (Luke 12:24).
Therefore, if we continue to allow the stress and anxieties of this world to consume our emotions and drive us into a state of worry and depression, what does that actually reveal about our faith?
PERSPECTIVE:
Psalm 46:1-3 reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus, so why do we fear all the calamity this world has to offer? Mountains are only moved if the Lord allows. Why then do we disbelieve in the One who spoke the mountains into existence to begin with? Is He not sovereign over all His creation?
Far too often, we attempt to place God in a man-made box, believing we can manipulate His actions according to our personal will. What we fail to realize is the more we lean upon our own understanding rather than Him, the more we squeeze God out from speaking truth into our hearts and minds.
If we could simply step back and view our lives from God’s perspective, we’d see how foolish we are to assume we know better despite our limited knowledge. God created the universe in 6 days simply by speaking it into existence! Why then would we ever trust ourselves more than His sovereign omniscience?
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).
“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5).
Keep in mind, God’s trustworthiness is not based on us our belief. He is simply trustworthy because His promises are true, His love is everlasting, His provision is sovereign, and His intentions toward the sanctification of mankind are holy and righteous. Therefore, though the mountains give way into the sea, we will not be shaken because this world is not our home.
“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; l have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
That is why death is the great equalizer, because it “separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-46) and transitions born-again, followers of Jesus Christ from this life to the next, where there is no more pain and suffering and worldly fear no longer exists.
BOTTOM-LINE:
Worldly fear only has power over our hearts and minds if we allow. That is why Godly fear is so critical because it postures us correctly before the throne of grace so we are secure and protected from the arrows of the enemy.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).
Nothing good comes from fearing mankind, for worldly fear is meant to magnify our shortcomings and inadequacies in the face of trials and persecution. That is why we must reconcile who or what we ultimately fear most.
For when the day of judgment arrives and we stand before the throne of God to give account for our lives, nothing but the blood of Jesus will atone for our failures and mistakes during our lifetime.
In that moment, judgment will be the only thing we should rightly fear because we can no longer do anything about it. Our fate is sealed. Therefore, we are wise to reconcile today who we will rightly fear before that day comes. Why? Because our eternity literally depends on it.
“The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:35–37).
