Fear No Fear

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

“The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”“
(Genesis 32:6)

“Now when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to him, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”“
(Matthew 11:2-3)

“Israel, hope in Yahweh, from this time forward and forever more.“
(Psalm 131:3)

Jacob was fearful that his brother Esau was coming to kill him and take from him his possessions, wives, and children. John the Baptist was fearful that since things were not going the way he and others assumed it would go (Messiah starting as a conquering king, not a suffering servant), he may have been mistaken about Jesus. That perhaps his Messiah, wasn’t. Fear of loss. Fear of losing the blessing that they had received was on the minds of both men. Fear clouds our sight and chokes the Word (Mark 4:19).

We can’t get rid of fear. What we CAN do is REPLACE it. If we lean into the Lord and what HE has for us, we can watch as fear FLEES (1 John 4:18). God’s Kingdom is ALWAYS near (Matthew 4:17). It isn’t God who prevents us from having peace or being fearful or anxious or depressed. It is OUR choice. We can’t smile the negative away. We can’t ignore what is happening around us. What we CAN do is humble ourselves before the Lord and let Him be the one who is in charge.

Yahweh, my heart isn’t arrogant, nor my eyes lofty;
    nor do I concern myself with great matters,
    or things too wonderful for me.
Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with his mother,
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Israel, hope in Yahweh,
    from this time forward and forever more.
(Psalm 131)

Summary

God NEEDS to be our Source. Our hope. If we put it in ANYTHING else, it will not go well. It might go okay, but it won’t hold a candle to what God had planned. And yes, sometimes things look bad. Things look like He isn’t in control. That He isn’t providing a solution and a way out. But we HAVE to keep on with our trust. We have to hold onto His Word and His promises. We must keep Him front and centre AND continue to trust. Settle in your mind that He IS trustworthy. That He IS faithful. And never let go of that. It is the foundation of our hope. And our hope is ALWAYS well-placed when we place it in Jesus.