Fear No Fear

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

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
Hebrews 11:23 (emphasis added)

When you’re a slave and the king who owns you makes a command, it is best to watch out. He can snuff your life out with a word. Best do what you’re told. Anything less than total compliance could mean death or worse. If you’re doing something in direct violation of that command, you had better have a good reason, a plan, or something. Moses’ parents had something. They had Yahweh. The Lord was there and the Lord was with them. Moses’ parents were both of the tribe of Levi. The tribe that would become the priesthood of Aaron. The ones that served in the temple making sacrifices for the people to the Lord. They knew the Lord. They knew He was there, He had covenanted with Abraham, and He was their God.

When they were pregnant with Moses, they must have been scared. If it was a male, it was doomed to be drowned in the river. Can you imagine nine months of wondering if the life inside you was going to be murdered as soon as it was born — this is not an abortion commentary, but the book of Exodus Chapters 1-2. Don’t read anything into this. Just look at what happened. They spent that whole time in fear. Then delivery day came. A boy. But the midwives weren’t turning the women in. The midwives were already disobeying Pharaoh because of their fear of the Lord (Exodus 1:17-21). Until Moses started making serious noise or walking around, they were safe.

They saw that boy. They saw that He was something special. I don’t know if they were specifically waiting for a deliverer or not, the Bible doesn’t say. But they feared the Lord and generically the people were crying out because slavery sucks. After Moses grew up, fled, and then when Moses came back, they believed he was sent of God and they would be delivered by the hand of the Lord. But when Moses was a baby, it doesn’t say in the Word what their state of mind was. It does say his parents found him beautiful and had faith in the Lord. Faith that their child would live and grow into his place in the service of the Lord. Faith that they would not be found out or punished. Faith that the Lord had the situation in hand. Imagine it. They had faith in a God who hadn’t visibly demonstrated Himself to His people for many decades.

Now look at us. At our lives. We’re not slaves. We’re not always in the best circumstances and we can cry out to God about a lot of tragic things, but we’re not looking for a deliverer to come save us. Not in a literal sense. In our circumstances — trying, terrible, tragic, or okay — where is OUR faith? We wonder how we can get food for the family. Presents for birthdays. Gas for the vehicle. Toilet paper. We worry about these things. We worry and worry and complain and wonder and…. where is our faith? We’ve lost the strength of our faith.

The truth is that we have moved. Shifted our focus. We’ve lost sight of the reality of God. We’ve refused to believe in the visible demonstrations of God. We’ve added to the Word legends and stories. We’ve told ourselves times have changed. The world has changed. We’ve told ourselves the age of miracles is over because the bible was sealed shut and completed. But, brothers and sisters, the Lord hasn’t changed. Moses’ parents had faith that God would deliver their son. And they based that faith on nothing more than stories about Abraham and his children and anything they felt in their hearts. They didn’t have bibles. There was no Word on paper. It was all in stories and songs. But they believed. They knew God was real and they chose to believe that He was able to do what He said He could (Hebrews 11:19).

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. For by this, the elders obtained approval. By faith we understand that the universe has been framed by the Word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:1-3). God made the earth. God makes promises. God keeps them. We can stand on anything that is a promise in the Word and as long as we fulfill any stipulations of the promise, we’ll get it. It might not look like it, but we will. God promised. So what’s our part? Believing and receiving. Standing on our faith during the period between our ask and our yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20). Not moving when it looks stupid and feels futile. Standing on what God has said simply because God said it. Doing what God says to do even when we don’t understand because we are going to trust that the Lord as a place for that piece of His jigsaw puzzle. Noah looked like the world’s biggest fool right up until the water was neck deep and still rising. We need to have faith and stand on God’s Word. It’s real. It’s powerful. And it’s true.

“Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Moses’ parents believed that God would help them. He did. We can believe the same and He will. The Lord loves us. He loves to bless us. He loves to delight in us (Proverbs 12:22). But there is no delight without faith. There is no faith without dwelling on the Word. Thinking about what it says, how it says it, and why it says it. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Daily. Read it at home. Read it on your break. Listen to it on your way to work, while you’re doing your chores, as you go to sleep, or any other time that you have a few minutes. Dwell on it. Believe it. Receive it. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand it. It’s important. It is the living Word of the Most High God. Draw close to Him and He’ll draw close to you (James 4:8). Have faith. Choose it.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Song of Songs 8:6-7

Love is amazing and the love of God for us should take your breath away. The best part — or one of the best parts of it anyway — is that it is never quenched. It is never satisfied. There is always something new about it and about us for the Lord to find fascinating. Forever and always He will be there waiting for you when you open your eyes in the morning. Forever and always He will be there to soothe your brow and whisper in your ear as you fall asleep. He loves you and wants you to know. He loves you and He wants you to realise it. He loves you and He wants you to feel it. Joyfully, completely, and satisfyingly. He loves you so much. And He always will.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.