Living in Fear without Being Afraid

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. Psalm 112:1

The LORD is mighty; He is great; He is above all things. With His mighty voice, He spoke the Heavens and the Earth into existence. There is none like Jehovah. He formed man out of the dust, in His image, and He breathed life into him. The LORD is Holy, He is righteous, He is just.

The Psalmist wrote blessed is the God-fearing man. This is not like the fear of encountering something dangerous, like when you are walking in tall grass in the summer, and you might be petrified of a snake. When the Psalmist wrote these words, he was not thinking of creepy crawly things that might hurt or kill based on a perceived threat. He used fear as an adjective to describe the status of the way a God-fearing man will live. In fact, that state of being, coupled with delighting in God's commandments, is not a source of worry, but of blessing.

Unfortunately, because of sin, many worry instead of fear. The origin of the word worry in English means seize by the throat. Worry destabilizes a man; worry can break us down; worry can snatch blessing out of our lives. Yet, God is clear through His Word. He does not wish for His creation to be afraid, but to trust, and find his root in the Lord. The psalmist continues in verses 7-8, He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies. In other words, the God-fearing man lives in fear of the Lord but will never be afraid.

Grace and Peace,

Ryan

Comments

Don't Raise an Ahaz

Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, like David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree . 2 Kings 16:2-4 When was the first time you drove a car? What about the first time you jumped off a diving board or gave a speech? After that first time, it certainly became easier. What about the first lie you told? Did it become easier? King Ahaz of Judah was evil and far from the example of David. Ahaz was the first to offer child sacrifices to t...

At the Feet of Jesus

How amazing it must have been to sit at the feet of Jesus. Have you thought much about that? What would it have been like to be around the Master? It was obviously life altering for His disciples, the majority of which (by historical accounts) would go on to violent deaths. Christians would go on to be persecuted throughout the centuries. Why? Jesus is worth the shame (Acts 5:41). Jesus is worth it all, because “there is no other name, under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It is for this very reason we think about how amazing it would have been to personally sit at the feet of Jesus. To Talk to Him Must Have Been Tender Talking to Jesus must have been so tender. We know that He would tell people what they needed to hear, and sometimes that was rather forthright (see Matt. 23), but he was loving and compassionate to those who wanted to learn from Him. Remember when parents were b...

Jehoram and Accent

Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD. 2 Ch 21:5-6 Regional accents are quite interesting when you consider all their quirks and differences from each other. However, as one who has lived in varying locations and cultures in the United States, my accent is sort of all over the place. When I was visiting some family in Eastern Arkansas, my cousin correctly introduced me as my cousin Ryan from Texas. However, the young lady to whom he introduced me said, "You're from Texas?" I affirmed yes. To which she replied, “You don't sound like you're from Texas.” Maybe it was the fact that I grew up right on the Rio Grande or maybe this girl just e...

Ironworks

Search This Blog