To face these days without fear we must fear the Lord!
What does it mean to ‘fear’ the Lord? Throughout the Bible there are instances when individuals have come face to face with the Lord or a messenger of the Lord. There is often a common physical reaction. Fear. Often they fell on their faces. But ‘to fear’ in the Strong’s concordance is ‘to revere, stand in awe, reverence, honour, respect’. We are to hold the Lord in highest esteem in our lives.
Isaiah 8:13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear
Isaiah 33:6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is his treasure.
Isaiah 50:10 “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.
Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
The believing fear of God is a special preservative
Henry says – The believing fear of God is a special preservative against the disquieting fear of man; see 1 Pet. 3:14, 15 {But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”}… [1.] We must look upon God as the Lord of hosts, that has all power in his hand and all creatures at his beck. [2.] …we must give Him the glory due to that name, and behave towards Him as those that believe him to be a holy God. [3.] We must make him our fear, the object of our fear, and make him our dread, keep up a reverence of his providence and stand in awe of his sovereignty, be afraid of his displeasure… Were we but duly affected with the greatness and glory of God, we should see the pomp of our enemies eclipsed and clouded, and all their power restrained and under check; see Neh. 4:14. Those that are afraid of the reproach of men forget the Lord their Maker, Isa. 51:12, 13. Compare Luke 12:4, 5.
To fear anything or anyone other than the Lord, is to give it power in our lives. It undermines God’s supremacy and authority over us. To truly fear the Lord alone is to be immune to the fear of man and the dread of what might come.
Come back and quietly trust in Me (from Isaiah 30:15-19) The Sovereign Lord says, “Come back And quietly trust in Me Then strong and secure You will be.” But you would have none of it Your eyes refused to see You said “We will flee on swift horses” Therefore you will flee And you are right Escape is what you will have to do You think that your horses are fast enough But those who pursue will be faster than you When you see one enemy soldier A thousand of you will run away Five soldiers will be enough To cause total disarray. All will flee, nothing will be left of your army Except a lonely flagstaff on the top of a hill, Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you If you will only be still He is ready to take pity on you Because He always does what is right Happy are those who put their trust in the Lord Glorious are they in His sight. By the late Andrew Feakin (passed away 16th March 2019)
Prayer: Father forgive me for fearing anything or anyone but You. You are my only help against all that would come against me. Give me a right and reverential fear of You that I would uphold you in my daily life above all else. For You are all I need. Amen