Fear…We can’t live without it.
I wonder if you are anything like me? Some mornings I wake up without a worry in the world. Other mornings, like this morning, I have this significant awareness of my fears. One of the great benefits of starting the day with my DAWG is being reminded that I am not alone in this. Listen to what David said…I sought the LORD and He answered me, And rescued me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed.
This wretched man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no lack of anything. The young lions do without and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psalms 34:4-11
David begins this Psalm with a great awareness of his fears. In his case, he had a lot to be fearful of and yet, in the middle of his fears and anxiety, he gives us a powerful statement of how God is at work to rescue us from our fears.
What are your fears right now?
This morning I came face to face with some of mine. Honestly, I wasn’t so sure I should have been having these fears and God gently reminded me that of course I do. It is a reality of living in a broken world with two natures at work in us. As I named those fears and continued reading Psalm 34, I noticed this interesting thing. While David began by asking God to rescue him from his fears, he then begins to talk about the blessing found in fearing the Lord…Fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no lack of anything.
But then David says…Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. So, in a short span, David has chronicled these things about his life:
He acknowledges his fears and praises God for His faithfulness to rescue.
He encourages us “Taste and See” for ourselves how good God is.
He then goes on mission to others saying…listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD
This is “Grace Energized” when we can face our fears each day with a great sense of Gods’ goodness and then rather than be defeated by these fears actually live with such confidence and boldness to say…Listen to me and I can teach you about this same hope, strength, and courage I have found!
We are FORGE Men-finding strength, even in our fears
