Fear No Fear

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

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘If only you will go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then you will live, and this city will not be burned with fire, and you will live, you and your house. But if you do not go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape from their hand.’”

Jeremiah 38:17-18

Zedekiah is a sad story. Here he is told EXACTLY how to avoid the things he was afraid of – for him, his wives, and his children – but in the end he does NOT listen, does NOT do it God’s way, and they all end up dead or worse (Jeremiah 39:1-8). He COULD have been a source of success in a bad situation, but he failed the test of fatherhood.

My own father was something of a workaholic – although he always made himself available to us when he was around. Not because he loved to work, but because he felt the deep NEED to provide for his family and this was the only way he knew to do it. And he DID do it. We were not well off, but I didn’t notice unless I happened to go to a rich kid’s house. There were things we could not have, but no one I knew got everything they wanted. This seemed normal. We did not go hungry. We had toys and presents at celebrations. He was a good father and role model. And most importantly, the infrastructure was there.

What does that mean? That means the framework for a good life was there. Our lives (my siblings and I) could have gone in many directions. But my father was ensuring that the infrastructure was there for us to succeed. It is true that my father was also doing something that wasn’t the best (over working), but God was modelling something through my father. My father was called according to a purpose. He was meant – among other things – to be a father. He was being one. Not a perfect one (no one is), but he was being one. I knew who he was, his values, his expectations, and that work did not kill you. God used that for something else. “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). My father loved the Lord, was called to be a father, and so the Lord was using what he was and what he did for good. What was the model? Although I did not always see the source providing it, the infrastructure for a good life was always provided.

I do not always ‘feel’ the presence of God. I am not always plugged in, turned on, and vibrating at His frequency. But He IS my Source and I know He is ALWAYS working for my good, even when I don’t see him. How do I know that? Because my father got up before we did, went to work, worked hard, got home after we did, and then still had to do some chores before he could relax and be around us. Then he slept and did it all again. Bills were paid, food bought, there was always a roof over our heads (whether it was the ideal scenario or not), we weren’t whined to about causing problems or dragging him down, his frustrations weren’t aired to us, he didn’t take them out on us, and we could ALWAYS depend on him. Just like I can ALWAYS depend on God, my Father – only moreso because He’s God.

I didn’t doubt that what I wanted would arrive on birthdays and celebrations. I didn’t doubt that we would get treat meals out from time to time. I didn’t doubt I would have clothes, access to doctors (good), access to dentists (not my favourite), and an education (REALLY not my favourite). We also got music lessons, got to go to some clubs, and went to church every Sunday (where my parents taught Sunday School – not that fun when I was in their class. Ugh. Behaving.). We knew he was there, he was providing for us, and we would have what we needed. Period. Trustworthy. He might not have been able to get us that fancy new computer, but we had the desks and the chairs needed when it arrived. Hard to use one on the floor, let me tell you. We didn’t have to struggle with infrastructure. Our needs were met.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, and not for your body, what you will wear. Is your life not more than food and your body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky, that they do not sow or reap or gather produce into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are? And who among you, by being anxious, is able to add one hour to his life span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not toil or spin, but I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these. But if God dresses the grass of the field in this way, although it is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not do so much more for you, you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?,’ for the pagans seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, because tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).

I don’t see God, I KNOW He is providing me the infrastructure I need to survive and thrive in this life (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 8:11). I can trust he is up when I am not. He is working when I don’t have to. He is providing training, supplying needs, and making sure I have everything I need. I don’t even need to ASK for my needs – He GIVES them to me. My father was an AWESOME example of God’s provision. He may not have been the father he wanted to be all the time, but he was NEVER a bad one and an excellent example to follow as I created my own troop of need-ers. I hope I can be as good an example to my brood that my father was to his.

Thank you, Dad. You did good.