Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

But he led out his own people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
Psalm 78:52-53 (emphasis added)

This was before the Lord had explained the Law. Before the 10 Commandments were laid down. Before He fed them every day with a miracle. Before speaking to them directly as He descended on a mountain. This was right at the very start of their relationship. First, He freed them from oppression. Then He led them toward a desert right up to a dead end. They had barely managed to believe Moses enough to come along and bam. Roadblock. Doesn’t that sound familiar?

We go through life thinking things are okay. We have a handle on what’s going on and where we are going to end up. A place to live, workplace opportunity, relationships, kids, education, retirement, bills, debts, and/or fiscal solvency. We’ve been in horrible places and seen light at the end of the tunnel. But when we got there we found a raging river that we couldn’t cross. There is nothing quite like the sinking feeling of a roadblock when we’re already fragile in the first place. When you read the account in Exodus you can feel those people moan. You can feel their backs rise. You can feel their dark looks at Moses, the fearful and longing looks behind them, and the hopeless looks at the waves mindlessly crashing on the shore.

But God doesn’t lead us astray. He doesn’t lead us with no purpose. And He course corrects us as we meander, wander, and plain cut and run. If we’re willing to take a correction, He can get us from where we bolted/ended up to where we were going originally—without back-tracking. God is a God of growth and advancement. He doesn’t backtrack. But we need to be in a place where we choose to realise that He is the one in charge, He is the one with the plan, He is the one with the power, He is the one who can save, He is the one who has solved the problems, and He is not bound by what we see/feel/experience/or know. That He is God and He knows best (Isaiah 55:8-9).

The enemies that were going to either drag the Israelites back to bondage or kill them outright? They died without ever getting within bow-shot of the Israelites. They didn’t even get a chance to strike a blow or hurl an insult they could hear. The Lord had a solution before the Israelites knew there was a problem. It wasn’t something they could do on their own. It wasn’t something that so much as crossed their minds as a possibility. He took them to a place where they had to depend on Him, where He had to do the impossible to get victory, where He had a plan in place (Genesis 15:14), and the only place where full and total victory could be achieved. God doesn’t make our trials. God doesn’t cause the negative to come upon us. But He sees it coming and prepares us. He sees it coming and He has a plan for total, complete, and impossible victory. He sees it and He provides for our escape whether we can see it yet or not (2 Thessalonians 3:3-5).

Shepherds make sure their flocks have ample food, water, places to lie down out of the harmful elements, and they protect the flock too. They watch for every threat. They go after every lost or misplaced sheep. They are always on alert, always caring, always monitoring, and always there. God did the same thing. He parted the waters and gave them a route out — even though it was impossible and they could do absolutely nothing to assist Him. On the other side He gave them water to drink, food to eat, watched over them, made sure their resources didn’t deplete, and kept them out of all trouble that wasn’t of their own making — even though almost all of it was impossible and they could do absolutely nothing to assist Him. They did not need to fear. He made sure there was nothing TO fear.

Sheep are intelligent. They hold fast together. They protect each other. They avoid bad grazing and eat things that benefit them. They keep an eye out for predators. They are strong in their flock and their personal relationships within that flock. But they have limits. They have a wide range of vision, but they cannot see every threat. They don’t have super-keen senses. They aren’t ultra fast. They aren’t bristling with incredible defensive capabilities. They have a lot of strengths, but they also rely on their shepherd. A shepherd doesn’t raise a flock of sheep. He guides it. He protects it from things they can’t see. He knows their short-comings and prepares for them. He keeps them from environments that are harmful. He gives them a lot of autonomy and enables them to grow and develop together, but he is always there to help or stop behaviour that will lead them astray. As long as they listen (Psalm 27).

We’re in a similar situation. We are His sheep. But we are in a unique place that the Israelites could not inhabit. We have an advantage that sheep do not have. Sheep recognise the voice of their shepherd. They know it and they follow it — ignoring other voices saying the same thing. But the sheep only recognise the voice or the sound patterns of certain commands. The sheep do not speak the language of the shepherd. We have been given an incredible gift: Jesus. In Jesus, we have it all. His Spirit dwells within us. His Spirit speaks to us. His Word transforms our minds. And so, we do more than hear the voice of the Lord. We can UNDERSTAND IT. By Grace, through Faith, we can have fellowship.

We aren’t needing the protection of rules. We get to understand the principles that those rules protected. We don’t have to worry about misstepping and getting our hands slapped. We are allowed to WANT to do right. Because it is right. Because we love Him. We get more than whistles and calls to direct our steps. We have words, wisdom, and a Spirit of Truth. We’re sheep, but we are so much more than that. We are children. Co-heirs. We’re on the inside track.

Jesus died and was raised to life so that you could have His Spirit. We can stand in the presence of the Father because of what Jesus did. How easy it is to be guided by a shepherd who is always beside us, dwelling within us, and always telling us what we need to know. We only have to believe, receive, and listen. There will be course corrections, but His yoke is light (Matthew 11:28-30). Take it up. You won’t regret it.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Matthew 11:25-30

The Lord of Heaven and Earth has a gracious will for us to come to Him. Jesus came to reveal His Father to us. What a sight! What a beauteous sight! In Jesus we can have rest. Real, actual rest. Wouldn’t it be nice to just lie down and breathe for a bit? Head resting on the Father’s lap? Listening to Him breathing? I tell you, Jesus is gentle and humble and will give rest to your soul. Believe and receive. Obey and listen. It’s that simple. You can’t get it wrong unless you do it on purpose. And He’s right there every moment to help you get it right. And it is right. So very right.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.