Fear No Fear

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

Then his people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is the one who led up them from the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the one who puts his Holy Spirit inside him, who made his magnificent arm move at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them, to make an everlasting name for himself, who led them through the depths? They did not stumble like a horse in the desert; like cattle in the valley that goes down, the Spirit of Yahweh gave him rest, so you lead your people to make a magnificent name for yourself.

Isaiah 63:11-14

The Israelites were not in a good place. They were in a desert. One of the bad ones. Almost no water. Almost no foliage. Out in the middle of nowhere – no civilization, doctors, medicine, no anything. They were on their own. How could millions of people survive in those conditions? The Spirit of Yahweh gave them rest. The rest that God provides is both a present reality and a future hope, encompassing physical, spiritual, present and future dimensions. It is full safety. Full security. Real peace in ANY and EVERY circumstance. It was then. It can be now. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Ruach HaKodesh gave rest then, Ruach HaKodesh gives rest now. Adonai is consistent.

Isaiah recounts the goodness and greatness of Adonai towards His people in the past. Why was it past? Why wasn’t it present? They had turned away. They got what they felt was REAL rest. They had a country full of vineyards and prolific fields. They had olive trees and date palms. They had fresh water and nice houses. They had donkeys and oxen, sheep and fowl. They had everything they needed. They could be at peace. And since they could be at peace, what need did they have to rely on anyone? They already had it. This was the fatal mistake they made. Literally.

Adonai is our Source for everything. It is VERY visible when you’re in a desert. He provides water and food. He keeps your clothes from wearing out. He keeps you away from the bandits and those who want to destroy you – giving victory when they insist on attacking. He does it all and you can’t say that He doesn’t. But when He leads you into success, none of that stops. It isn’t our great decisions that get us these things. It is us being obedient to Him. It is us making the deals He tells us to make. When He tells us to make them. And once we have the things, we need to maintain our thankfulness and recognition of His goodness to us. We don’t fall in love with the things, we thank Him for the things and let our love of Him reign in our thinking.

Ruach HaKodesh was the glory in the camp. Ruach HaKodesh is the glory in our homes as well. Nothing has changed. We have food on our table because He gave it to us. He gave us employment, He made sure we were in the right programs, He made the bureaucracy work to our benefit. In some cases He even delivered the groceries. No matter where you are on the spectrum of human living, it is the Lord who sustains you. Ruach HaKodesh is here to remind us of that. He is here to speak to us about the goodness of Adonai. He is here so that we can see the glory of Adonai as it works in our lives. If we will keep from hardening our hearts, we will always be able to see it. Always be able to direct our thanksgiving and praise to the right place. We will always get to enjoy His Rest – which is Jesus.

Whenever we’re tempted to congratulate ourselves, Ruach HaKodesh brings to mind what Adonai did to get us here. To bring us that thing. To be the safety that we now enjoy. Ruach HaKodesh is always talking to us about the goodness of Adonai. But we need to listen. We need to keep our ears open. He is our joy, strength, strong tower, shelter, protection, and every good thing. If we aren’t experiencing those things it’s because we’ve forgotten (or maybe weren’t taught) that they are ours. Ruach HaKodesh is telling you what Adonai did, what Adonai is doing, and what Adonai will do. He is constant in His communication so that we DON’T forget. So that we keep it stayed in our minds (Isaiah 26:2-4). So that we get to live in the FULLNESS of His rest (Matthew 12:8; Hebrews 4:9).

Keep your ears open. Clean them out with the Word on a daily basis. Rejoice in what He has done because if He did it once, He’ll do it again. He never changes. Keep your mind on Him and enjoy that consistent, constant, REST. Let it be the glory that keeps your eyes on the One who makes it shine: Jesus.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Hebrews 13:5

“Your lifestyle must be free from the love of money, being content with what you have. For he himself has said, “I will never desert you, and I will never abandon you.”” We have in Jesus everything that we need. He is MORE THAN ENOUGH. When we decide to covet money, houses, vehicles, jobs, etc, we are choosing THINGS as our source. But Jesus said He would be beside us in all things, at all times, with no exceptions. We KNOW He wants us to have the fullness of life (John 10:10), and that includes things. But HE needs to be what we look to. Our security is not determined by things and resources. Things and resources are what come with security. What shape or form those things and resources take will change wildly depending on your culture and your nation. But ALL THINGS are possible when we are WITH HIM (Matthew 19:26). Only with JESUS as our head and one true love will we have anything. Otherwise, the things will have us. You see it all the time. The sheer terror people have of losing what they have. Their desperation even leading them into debt in an attempt to get some ‘success’ and stability according to the world’s standards. That misery is crushing. With Jesus, there is none of that. We know He is with us. We know He won’t leave us. We don’t need to worry about ANYTHING because our hand is in His and He will NEVER steer us wrong. He’s made it clear that He never stops speaking to us. That He never leaves us. That He is with us guiding us into all things if we will put all our trust in Him. That’s an AWESOME promise. Especially since His promises NEVER fail (Joshua 21:45). 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