No Fear

No Fear
August 11, 2014
Psalm 112:1  "Praise the Lord.  Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands."

There is one particular message repeated in the Bible throughout its entirety.  The message is a command:  fear the Lord.  Scripture says the fear of the Lord is the very beginning of wisdom (meaning you cannot be wise by any standards unless you fear the Lord).  Fear in this instance is defined by a healthy respect, an honoring of His authority and position in our lives.  Fearing the Lord is submitting to His design, His template for your life and of those around you.  Fearing the Lord is obeying His commands and following in all His ways.  Fearing the Lord is trusting He will work everything out just as He desires.  It is no small task to fear the Lord; it takes a lifestyle.  But the Bible says there are great rewards for those who fear Him.

I'd like to say I fear the Lord to the fullest extent of the definition, but if I look at my life in retrospect this is not the case.  Scripture says those who truly fear the Lord will reap the benefits through a lifestyle reward.  Here are some of the benefits on that list:  wealth and riches upon their household, their hearts will not be shaken, and they will have no fear of bad news.  There are more items on that list but those three alone are pretty amazing.  I am certainly not a wealthy man by any standards, and my heart has been shaken on more than one occasion.  Most importantly, I know I have lost sleep over the possibility of bad news.  But the Bibles says if you truly feared the Lord, then you will not cringe at the possibility of bad news; you would have no fear.  Those who fear the Lord will have no other fears in life.

While all of us would certainly appreciate more money or more emotional stability, it would certainly be a miracle if no one ever faced another fear in this life.  The full sentence in the Bible reads, "They will have no fear of bad news."  It doesn't suggest that bad news will cease to exist.  Bad news will always abound.  But those who truly fear the Lord will not fret when bad news arrives.  I've sat in expectation of layoffs at work, or the test results from the doctor.  My household has lost sleep over the possibility of losing a child.  Bad news is common it seems but our reaction to that bad news could be quite un-common if we truly feared the Lord.

If you've ever lost sleep over the unknown, it was a sign you were not fully submitted to the Lord in that moment.  Our fear of the situation represents a lack of fear in the Lord.  We are all guilty of this, sadly.  It's not because our minds don't comprehend the enormity of God, but sometimes we lose sight of who is actually in control.  If we truly feared the Lord, we would relinquish control, knowing the Lord would and WILL intervene when He deems it most appropriate according to His design and our own best interests.  Fearing anything in the moment is not fearing the Lord.  My life and your life seldom represent this.

Be honest with yourself and admit you were afraid of bad news this past week.  Be honest with yourself and admit you have a fear of what could happen tomorrow or in the next coming days.  Admitting you have fears is not a weakness, it's an opportunity to realize what areas of your life are not fully submitted to the fear of the Lord.  We can all finish this sentence, "I trust the Lord, except when it comes to . . ."  This is your first and foremost priority area.  It is a chance to fear the Lord to the fullest extent of the definition.  Fear the Lord and you will have no other fears in this life.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Ps 27:1, Ps 112, Proverbs 2, Romans 8:28, 2 Cor 9:7-9, Phil 1:14