Fear No Fear

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

“Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I have taken refuge, my shield and the horn of my deliverance, my stronghold..“

Psalm 18:2

Jesus is a shield and a strong tower. He is the ultimate line of defense. NOTHING can get past Him. EVERYTHING has to submit to Him. No matter what it is or how ‘powerful’ it claims to be. “Therefore also God exalted him and graciously granted him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). That’s pretty final. There was no light in Creation until Jesus became our Light (Genesis 1:1-3). He stood in place of physical light for us (until the sun was created in Genesis 1:14-19). That is a position of strength. If THAT is who is our shield, how can ANYTHING get past it? Jesus made everything that is (John 1:1-5). If THAT is who our tower is, how can ANYTHING get inside? We are talking about ULTIMATE protection. That is who Jesus is for us. So why is it we still find ourselves capable of worry? We forget who He is. We open the door of the tower and look out.

Jesus wants us to think of Him as a friend because He thinks of us as friends. “No longer do I call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I have heard from my Father I have revealed to you” (John 15:15). That wasn’t just for the Twelve, but for ALL disciples. The problem is our thinking. When we think of a friend, we think purely of equals. One of the gang. Someone to hang around with and horse around with. And it isn’t that Jesus isn’t playful and there for that role, it is that He never forgets His POSITION and we do. When something goes wrong, we turn to Him like Butch would turn to Cassidy and exclaim ‘what are we going to do, Jesus?’ in a panic. As if He didn’t have a plan in place already. As if He wasn’t able to save. As if this took Him by surprise. That is not the kind of friend He is. He IS able to be playful and joking and fun, but when trouble comes calling, He stands there in His role as King of Kings, not as buddy and pal. He doesn’t stop being a pal, but He is SO MUCH MORE.

In ancient times, when you were a friend of the king you had privileges that no one else had. You had the freedom to enter his presence. You had access. You had his ear. You had access to information no one else had. Sometimes he took your advice. You often had clout in political circles. Sometimes you had privileges in the land (territory or hunting rights). It was a special relationship. There was a certain amount of protection as well, since if anything happened to you the chances that the king would punish those who attacked you were very high. It was a great and special relationship to have. But neither party forgot their respective places – and it didn’t interfere with their relationship, either.

Jesus becomes our shield and our tower when we give over to Him our cares (1 Peter 5:7). When we tell Him that HE is in charge and we will do what He says. When we take shelter in what He can do, who He is, and we humbly submit to Him. We’re giving over control and taking shelter in His abilities. We don’t have to panic in the boat, running around wondering if we’re all going to drown. He is in charge, so we can be in peace. Objectively nothing has changed, but our EXPECTATION has changed. Our assumption becomes survival and victory because Jesus is on the case. We know we will overcome because we’re in Him and He has already overcome everything (John 16:33). It’s a great place to be.

The best part of a strong tower is that inside of it, we are safe. Thick stones. High walls. It’s secure. So why do we keep opening the door and looking out at the trouble? Why don’t we STAY where it is safe? Why won’t we let the cares stay with Him? Why do we think we need to observe things, get anxious about them, and develop our own two cents? Why do we forget that opening the door is the first step to leaving the secure place? You don’t walk through closed doors. You ONLY walk through open ones. If we are going to take the wise and proper step of taking shelter in Jesus by giving Him our cares, then we SHOULDN’T care about whatever is happening outside of Him. It isn’t that we are UNAWARE of what’s happening, it’s that what’s happening has nothing to do with our behaviour or mental state. It’s knowing we are secure instead of being worried. It’s knowing we are safe instead of being anxious. It’s knowing there is a plan and we are NOT having to face an unknown. And it is certainly knowing that WE are not responsible with OUR efforts to make the solution come to pass – although we also know we might have a role to play. You only get to know those things when you are paying attention to the One in charge inside the tower, not looking out the door at the armies besieging you.

Ruach HaKodesh is INVALUABLE in this. Adonai does NOT leave things to chance. He ALWAYS uses His Word to SHOW us His faithfulness, His ability, and His mercy. All creation practically SCREAMS of His goodness (Romans 1:20). But the physical, situational, and emotional reality of what is happening around us can take our eyes off of Him. Off of His Word. Off of what HE says is going to or could happen. We start focusing on the SEEN and not the DECLARED. On what humans have said, and not on what Jesus has said. Ruach HaKodesh is our reminder. He is our coach. He reminds us of the plays. He reminds us of the strategies. He reminds us of what Jesus has said and declared. He reminds us of the will of Adonai. He shows us in the Word. He shows us His Fruit. He reminds us of the armour Jesus has been polishing for us.

Ruach HaKodesh is the beam that slides across the door. He is the extra level of security for US so that WE don’t pick up our cares again. So that WE don’t open the door and stare at what is assailing us. So that WE don’t forget we are IN a fortress and IN a strong tower and BEHIND a shield. If we will listen to Ruach HaKodesh, we won’t forget. We won’t lose focus. We’ll remember WHERE we are and in WHOM we have relied on. We will remember the most important thing: we are a FRIEND of THE King.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Psalm 19:1

“The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands” Kids like us to ‘lookit’. Lookit that, lookit this. Lookit, lookit, lookit. They NEVER stop. Creation is like that. Over and over. Again and again. His GOODNESS is on display. Whenever we stop thinking of it, there it is again. LOOKIT THAT! We always have an opportunity to WOW. The rhythm of the natural world shows us the rhythm of His love. Constant. Ever-renewed. Enduring. No matter how dark it seems, a bright day is right around the corner. It’s about to be a Brand New Day. HIS Day. THE Day. It’s coming for us. It’s coming to BLESS us. The ‘end of things’ is really the renewal of all things (Revelation 21:1). The BEGINNING of the rest of everything. THAT is what creation shows us. The beauty that we get to walk in. The faithfulness we get to experience. The GOODNESS that has been laid up just for you and just for me. 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