Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)


Turn to me and have mercy on me because I am lonely and afflicted.

Psalm 25:16

Repentance is all about turning. You choose to accept Adonai’s objective morals as the ONLY correct ones, and turn into obedience to Him instead of selfishly continuing your own way. Repentance is THE sign of faithfulness and obedience. It isn’t about how often we don’t make it or the many ways in which we need to submit. It’s about the CHOICE to obey because of LOVE. To turn and to REMAIN turned on the issue at hand. That’s repentance.

This ‘turn to me’ isn’t about repentance, it is about the mirror image of it. It’s the plea of someone who wants to experience the faithful loving kindness of Adonai. It’s someone who is READY to repent and wishes the catalyst of that repentance to turn to them so they can embrace Him. It is the cry of the lost to their Shepherd. The Shepherd who is ever merciful.

The word used here for mercy is chanan (khaw-nan’). It means to be gracious, show favor, have mercy, to bend, stoop in kindness to an inferior – bestowing on them something they don’t deserve. It’s a sense of compassion or kindness. This word is at the core of the Covenant relationship Adonai wants to have with us. It is something He bestows, but also something that must be accepted. Because to have mercy thrust on someone who refuses to humbly submit to the covenant is a waste. That person COULDN’T accept it because they are walking in the other direction. It is meat brought by ravens, but no prophet ever shows up to eat of the ever-growing pile (1 Kings 17:2-6).

“And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him and cried out, saying, “This one was he about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’” For from his fullness we have all received, and grace after grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ” (John 1:14-17). We were NOT offered justice – thank you, Yahweh – but we ARE offered MERCY through GRACE. We are lonely. We are afflicted by our own sense of our sins. It is us, in need of a deliverer, humble and straining for relief. It is the same sense of affliction Job had (Job 9:33). Messiah Jesus is the answer to all the questions that Job, trapped in the Old Covenant, longed for (Matthew 13:17).

Ruach HaKodesh is the vehicle of that mercy. He is the comforting presence that renews us to the idea that what WE see in the mirror isn’t what Adonai sees. He is CONSISTENLY and CONSTANTLY convicting us of our RIGHT to be the righteousness of Adonai in Messiah Jesus (John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21). WE never need to cry why me, oh why me! WE get to praise, thank you that you’re with me! Thank you that I can – in You – overcome all things! What a comfort indeed.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Psalm 25:8

“Good and right is Yahweh; therefore he instructs sinners in the way” If the Father hadn’t called us to Himself (John 6:44), if Jesus hadn’t been willing to become our Way (John 14:6), and if Ruach HaKodesh wasn’t correcting us (Colossians 2:11), we never would have made it. It is only because of our spiritual circumcision that the old nature was removed. In its place, we have HIS nature. We have HIS spirit. We stand in HIS place becoming more like HIM as we yoke ourselves to Him by love in humble submission. He does the whole thing. It isn’t us. It’s Him. It’s always been Him. It always IS Him. What a GOOD God!

Your Daily Confession of Elohim’s Goodness:

I taste and see that Yahweh is good; I am blessed because I take refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8