Fear No Fear

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

“With his feathers he will cover you, and under his wings you can take refuge. His faithfulness will be a shield and a buckler.”

Psalm 91:4

I was watching Planet Earth 3, and I’m not sure which episode it was, but there were particular ostriches that live in a VERY hot valley. They had eggs waiting to hatch. If they didn’t hatch in time, the chicks wouldn’t survive the trip out of the valley. Some hatched and they were waiting for the rest. As they waited, the adult would sit on the ground and the chicks would go under their wings. You’d see these little faces poke out of the feathers. Looking around. Still in the situation. But totally and completely protected, resting in a cooler environment, unable to be affected directly by the sun. This is always what I picture when I read this verse. Covered, protected, and safe. What I never think about is the possible journey involved. That chick didn’t START under those wings, after all. That chick had to peck its way out of an eggshell, get up, walk, and navigate under the feathers. The protection was there. The chick was encouraged. But the adult didn’t carry the chick, it GUIDED the chick while the chick moved into place.

I was reminded of that when I was reading today’s word study by Chaim Bentorah Ministries. There was a bit about this verse. They wrote: ‘Psalms 91:4 reads in our KJV text: “He shall cover you with His feathers and under his wings.”  We could also read this as: “He shall move you away from a sudden catastrophe to a place of calmness in His secret hiding place.”  Both mean the same thing but the latter reading seems to fit the emotional context as well the context itself because verse one talks of a secret place of the most high and a deliverance from havot midavar or perilous life-threatening situations.’ They likened it to walking down a woodland trail and suddenly a tree falls down in front of you, blocking your way. You’re forced to change direction and go somewhere different. A crisis changed your movement and you ended up in a safe place. So maybe the protection under His wings is right there, but we need to get under them. Maybe we need to move, but we’re not doing it. We’re not walking the right way. Or to the right place. We have our eye on something else. That’s when we need to listen the hardest.

We need to remember that Adonai sees everything and takes everything and everyone into account when He is directing our steps. Sometimes waiting – which none of us love to do – will help someone else. Sometimes the thing we think is perfect, would actually not be beneficial to us. Sometimes we don’t have the foundation to handle something. Sometimes what we have in front of us is great, but something even better is somewhere else. We don’t know. We can choose to rely on His wisdom or we can choose to go our own way. It kind of comes down to whether we are even listening to Ruach HaKodesh at all. We can’t be guided if we’re not listening to the guide. It would be like climbing a mountain and going off our own way, ignoring everything the guide is saying to us and warning us about. It would practically be suicide. The same thing happens to us when dealing with spiritual things. We need to listen to the Ruach of Truth – the ONLY reliable guide there is.

It is NOT that Adonai brings negative situations into our lives. He does NOT do that (James 1:17; Isaiah 30:18; 2 Corinthians 9:8). But negative things do come against us (John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8; Luke 22:31). And some good things are not meant for us. Adonai uses these things to direct us or to give us the opportunity to choose His direction. The devil tests us to seek our failure. Adonai lets tests happen so that we can prove to ourselves that in Jesus, we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). We WILL pass – Adonai would NEVER allow something we cannot pass – only IF we listen to Him. If we listen to Ruach HaKodesh and His guidance. We have everything we need to succeed. We have His authority, we have His Fruit available to us, we have His giftings given to us as we need them and according to His choosing, we have His armour, we have His presence, and we are anointed with the Blessing. If we will submit to Him, listen, and obey, then NOTHING can stand against us. We might be in a situation, but we will be ABOVE the troubles and ABOVE the problems and OVERCOMING because we are resting in Jesus who IS the Overcomer.

The disciples had everything that humans need to do the work they were called to, but Jesus prevented them from even trying to start that work. “And behold, I am sending out what was promised by my Father upon you, but you stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Jesus again told them what would happen to them before He ascended: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It was ESSENTIAL that they do NOTHING but to wait until Ruach HaKodesh was dwelling in them to guide, teach, and correct them. Ruach HaKodesh is the ULTIMATE guide. He knows EVERY move we need to make. He knows EVERY piece of ground that we’re called to cover. If we don’t spend time DAILY listening to Him, we are being foolish. We need to lean into Ruach HaKodesh. We need to clean our ears with the Word every day and listen to every whisper and tidbit that He sends. He does NOT speak to hear Himself think. He does NOT speak just to entertain us. There is importance in everything He says – even when it’s something amusing in order to share joy with us. It will NEVER be inconsequential or ‘fluff’. It will ALWAYS have a purpose. It will NEVER contradict scripture. He is GOOD and He is our GUIDE. We NEED to listen to Him. Always.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” Sometimes, it’s hard to walk guided solely by a voice. Have you ever tried it? Walking through a dark room, trying to find the bed, guided only by the voice of your spouse? Or trying to navigate a child’s bedroom through a maze of stuffies, toys, and Lego while the child in question is calling to you? It isn’t easy. Being in the dark is HARD and DANGEROUS. Humans throughout time have spent a LOT of effort and resources trying to get illumination happening. It works the same way spiritually. It’s essential that we have the voice of Ruach HaKodesh teaching, guiding, leading, correcting, and informing us. But it can be hard to understand everything or to have confidence that we’ve heard right. It isn’t about unbelief. It’s about trust. Trusting Him so that we know wherever we put our feet – even if we see nothing there – will be a solid place. That’s why we have the Word. It BUILDS and STRENGTHENS our trust in Jesus. Without the Word, we would not have the confidence that Ruach HaKodesh would never steer us wrong. That He doesn’t ‘prank’. That He is faithful, worthy of trust, good, loyal, and loving. The Word is the confirmation for everything Adonai says to us, everything Ruach HaKodesh teaches us, and the example that Jesus set for us. We are NOT left in the dark. We’re given a living, breathing, manual that shows us exactly what we can expect. Exactly what we can rely on. And exactly how good His character is. We are NOT left wondering. We are given the opportunity to seek, find, and KNOW. That’s so great and SO VERY comforting. 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