Fear No Fear

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

I will bless the LORD, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.
Psalm 16:7-9 (emphasis added)

This is a Psalm of praise. Of acknowledging all the things that the Lord had done for the author (King David). These particular verses also point to how we are supposed to walk in the ways of the Lord. It is a guide to how to keep the Lord and His Word in the place that it is supposed to inhabit. It also re-iterates the benefit of not walking in fear, but in reverence. In not joining ourselves to darkness, but wedding ourselves to light.

He starts by blessing the Lord, who has given counsel. This is more than advice. David was saying Lord, you have maintained me. To maintain is to keep in an existing state (as of repair, efficiency, or validity). To preserve from failure or decline. This is an active participation in the well-being of someone. Proverbs 3:25-26 tells us “Don’t be afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes; for the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being taken.” The Lord will be by our side. Will be our confidence. Will maintain us. Has given us counsel. Is this an aloof God? A divine being so far above us that it doesn’t even notice the gnats crawling on one dirt spec in the cosmos? No. Our God is not the god the world imagines. The cosmos is large and full of incredible and beautiful things. But we are the only things within it which were made in the image of God. We are the only things in the entire creation marked by His name. I do not know if we are in the centre of the universe, but I know that we are in the centre of His attention (Psalm 8:4-8).

There is also the implication that this is not thanksgiving for a completed event. That God did not maintain him in the past and that was that. Work complete. Rather the implication is that this was the BEGINNING of the counsel. The BEGINNING of the Lord maintaining Him. That this is the start of a journey together. The Lord leading and us following. God is a God of growth. Of expansion. Look at the universe around us. It is expanding at roughly 73.3 kilometres per second. That’s growth right there. And yes, it is a lot more complex than that but it is—in fact—expanding. Whenever we deal with the Lord—which should be all the time—we need to remember that. That God isn’t going to leave you in one place. That you are going to be growing, stretching, and getting bigger on the inside. God is going to Tardis you up. I personally believe it is one of the reasons for the Sabbath. We work and stretch and grow six days a week. But one day a week, we can lie back in the arms of the Most High to rest physically and renew ourselves spiritually.

The verses then shift to night time. Night can be a profitable time for the spirit. Up until the advent of the World Wide Web, night was when you were left alone. It was like a mini-sabbath. A time of rest and renewal of the body. But it was also a time that we could reflect. The Jewish Rabbi Radak teaches ‘he says by night, because at night a man is isolated from the preoccupations of the world and his mind is free’. This was true as recently as forty years ago. It is often not the case today. Bedrooms all over the world are aglow with the light of social media. We can’t sleep, so we scroll. We wake up and get restless, so we see what’s going on in the world. There is always something to distract us.
And if we don’t sleep with our devices nearby, it is no problem. The world has been working hard to foster a mental environment where we don’t actually shut off our brains that much. We’re already thinking about tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next week. Rehearsing phone calls, meetings, personal interactions. Letting our brains brings forth everything that has happened to us in the past. From embarrassing to erotic to stressful to bitter. Anything to either ramp up our negative emotions or ignite our insecurities. Anything to feed our anxiety or depression—or both. Anything to keep the focus on us, our situation, and our wants and needs. Worry inducing reminders of looming bills. Growth opportunities for ulcers and other health problems. Taking our eyes away from where they could be.

Night is quiet. The broiling demands of those around us are on the back burner. It is a good time for godly reflection. It is a good time for prayer. It is a good time to sacrifice some sleep in order to have communion with our creator. There is a huge benefit to it. The same can be said of early mornings. Of that quiet time before the world starts up. Before you have to be in motion in order to be ready for school, work, or your family. When all is still and you can focus without much effort. Night time lends itself more readily to ‘how did I do’ pondering or ‘big picture future’ wondering. Early morning leans into ‘what does this day hold’ questioning. Regardless of what you prefer, it is necessary to spend quiet time with the Lord. Yahweh is a Great God. He can make mountains tremble and skies shake. He can plumb depths and set planets spinning. But most often it is with the still small voice that He speaks with (1 Kings 19:12).

We don’t always like hearing why He does that. We shy away from it. Or we put some super spiritual spin on it. But here is the deal from a psychiatric and developmental point of view. God is our Father (Ephesians 3:14-15). As our Father, He uses parenting techniques. The Child Mind Institute points out: Addressing inappropriate behaviour calmly enables you to focus on teaching the child what’s problematic about their behaviour, and following through with effective consequences (https://childmind.org/article/calm-voices-calmer-kids/). He treats us as a parent should. Not with a lot of empty show. He doesn’t give us the ‘ol razzle dazzle. He speaks calmly to get through to us. To teach us. To tell us simply and plainly, what He wants. And what He wants is for us not to forget Him.

This is not in a do-I-know-you way. This is not an old flame you haven’t seen for years and years way. This is not a childhood friend you lost touch with. We partner up with people both professionally and personally. When we do, we want them in the loop—and to be in the loop ourselves. When we feel betrayed in these relationships is when something has happened and we were not party to it. Take sex in marriage from a human point of view. When you sleep with someone else without your partner’s permission it’s cheating. When you do it with permission it’s an open marriage. The only difference is the telling them beforehand. That’s so wishy-washy it isn’t even funny. We can be thankful that God is a Rock. That He does not change. When He says a thing, it is that thing now and always. His Word can be trusted. And His Word says that He wants to partner with us (Luke 1:37).

Yahweh wants us in the loop. Look at the evidence in scripture. He told Abraham what was going to happen with the Israelites in Moses’ time (Genesis 15:13-16). He told Moses that the Israelites wouldn’t listen to Him (Deuteronomy 17:14-17 and Deuteronomy 31-32). God has never been shy about telling us what is coming—good and bad. He always delineates the path we should take and tells us what not to do. He is very clear. He was clear in scripture and He is clear today where the gift of prophecy is alive and well. God doesn’t want a dictatorship. Yes, He is far above us. That is without doubt. He was always above us. But we were meant to be right below Him, not fallen away completely. In Jesus, we can have that relationship back. Trusted and beloved children. He is still the adult and we are toddlers. But He talks with us and walks with us. He listens to us and He wants us to listen to Him. To have a back and forth within the framework of His righteousness and His righteous standards. To be beside us to help us, speak to us, and to hear us.

When we put the Lord first, talking to Him throughout our day. Touching base. Praising Him. Thanking Him. Asking Him questions. Listening for answers. Those short ‘what does the Word say about this principle’ check-ups. These are the things that bring joy to us. Smiles to us. Give us a chance to be truly glad. Because when we get close to Him, His peace rubs off on us. We start to KNOW He is there. To smell it in our spirit. That knowledge brings us confidence. How can we fall when our Father is there to keep us from falling? We fall and scrape our knees when we demand we know what we’re doing. It is much better to work under the watchful eye of a master than to use tools we barely understand to accomplish a task that is beyond us.

When we KNOW He is with us, fear cannot come near. It is laughable when it raises its head. Laughable when that temptation comes near. Why would we sully ourselves with that when the master is beside us? Why would we try it alone or seek after some feeling or experience when the experience of being near to God is ours? It is only when we lose sight of Him that we stumble. Instead of teachable opportunities of God’s love, they’re our whiny, nagging kids who are fraying our last nerve. Instead of a moment to bless, it’s some noob in traffic that’s going too slow. Instead of an act of loving service, it’s the laundry piling up again.

It’s so simple. It’s so easy to overlook. Everything can be about the Lord. Not in a pious, monkish way. But in a loving way. What can I do to serve? What can I do to show His love? What can I do to teach—by action or by word? How can I model Him? It’s simple because we have an instructional manual. It changes our inner selves. It changes our DNA—sometimes literally. It can change our physical state. Not in a transcendental meditational way, but in a healed and whole way. Vibrant and life-filled way. It is healing to us (Proverbs 3:8). It is life to us (John 6:63). The Word before us day and night. Always mulling over a verse or verses. Discussing it. Talking it out. This is what keeps the Lord before us.

If you spend your time on the Word and on the Lord, alone and with those around you, then you will reap the benefits. If you spend your time diddling around with the things of the world—whether they are good or bad in and of themselves—you will reap the consequences of that. Sometimes it is as small as missing the opportunity to discover a tidbit that will bless you. Sometimes it’s something huge that changes the whole game for you. We never know what is around the corner, but God does. God knows and is eager to share with us. Bless the Lord. Set Him before you. He is at your right hand and we can be confident that He will keep the feet of those who follow Him from being snagged (Proverbs 3:26). Put Him before you all the time. Do not depart from it. He won’t depart from you — there is no turning in Him—so don’t turn away. He is worth listening to. He is worth loving on. He is worth everything. Let Him prove it to you.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Hebrews 4:11-12

I am ever thankful that there is NO condemnation for those who abide in Jesus (Romans 8:1). I am never going to have to stand before a judicial seat of judgment and hear about my sins, faults, and foibles. There is no judgment for me as a believer. However, that is not the end of it. I have to stand before the Bema Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). This is not a judgment seat. In some ways, it’s worse. It is a reward seat. In human terms, it was the seat that Caesar sat on and handed out the laurels of victory to the participants of the Games. Sounds good. But there are no participation ribbons in heaven. It is less like an award ceremony for us and more like the science fair. We’ve worked on our projects. Now it is ‘go’ time. Jesus turns it on and sees what we have. Was it a successful project? Did it work? Yay. A ribbon. Did it fall apart? Did it not work? Did it explode? Okay then. We pass, but only by the skin on the lips of our teeth (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). God loves us so much He saved us. But that wasn’t the end of it. That was the end of judgment. That was the end of sin. Sin He sees no more. But Romans 14:23 says everything not of faith is sin. That is a heart attitude there. Remember that faith is the expectant belief for things that have been promised to come to pass regardless of how it looks right now. But faith is also the manifestation of belief. If whatever it is you do (from dishes to witnessing to shopping to dealing with your kids) isn’t done according to the principles of the Kingdom and is motivated in your heart of hearts in alignment with the morals of the Lord, then you aren’t being obedient to the Word. This is why we need Jesus. Who can do that on their own? No one. We would all end up with a Popsicle stick mess that ignites and explodes in the teacher’s face. In Jesus, we can accomplish things according to the Will of the Father. Acts of service, acts of healing, acts of teaching, acts of encouragement, acts of evangelism, and any other service you can think of that’s inspired of God. God loves us. Let’s start acting like it.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.