Fear No Fear

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

“But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity. But you be strong! Don’t let your hands be slack, for your work will be rewarded.””
(2 Chronicles 15:4-7)

“I will give you thanks with my whole heart.
    Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.
I will bow down toward your holy temple,
    and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth;
    for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.
In the day that I called, you answered me.
    You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, Yahweh,
    for they have heard the words of your mouth.
Yes, they will sing of the ways of Yahweh,
    for Yahweh’s glory is great!
For though Yahweh is high, yet he looks after the lowly;
    but he knows the proud from afar.
Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me.
    You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies.
    Your right hand will save me.
Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me.
    Your loving kindness, Yahweh, endures forever.
    Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.”
(Psalm 138)

“To this end we also pray always for you that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Asa was a godly king. He followed in the footsteps of his father. He put away the images and idols. He removed from power those who supported them. He pledged with the people to remove all idol worshippers from Judah. They looked to God to save them when enemies attacked – which was not often. They relied on the Lord and on the scriptures (the Torah) to increase their reliance on the Lord. They knew that His Word gave them strength – which it still does (Romans 10:17). They followed what He had laid down for them. Not perfectly, but in ever-increasing compliance. As a result, they enjoyed His BLESSING.

We are to be grateful to the TRUTH that God supports, protects, and BLESSES those who comply with what He says is right, good, and proper. When we align ourselves with His moral character and His point of view, we get to enjoy the benefit of that. We get to live abundant lives. We get to ENJOY ourselves. Yes, the world hates that because they feel their own shame at their actions. Yes, they persecute us because they are trying to stamp out God’s Light and Love. But even within that there is Joy to be had. Peace to be had. Rejoice and worship God regardless of what’s going on around you. He will lift you up so that you are above your problems and seeing them from His point of view, instead of being at the mercy of them.

Summary

We should be ready to act. Ready to obey the Lord. Ready to do what we need to do when He tells us to do it. That means that in between instructions from the Lord, we need to be learning His Word. Learning what He says. Learning about who He is. Learning about the housecleaning we might need to do. The things we might need to part ways from. Not because they are poor quality, but because they do not encourage godly thinking, acting, and speaking. Enjoyment isn’t the issue. What they are seeding into our lives is. This was the issue Lot had – godly man putting himself in ungodly circumstances. This is the problem we ALL have. We need to hold fast to the Word. That is where we find the Will of God. All His instructions to us will line up with the Word. All of them. It is THE major way He speaks to us. It is how He reveals Himself to us. And it is how WE learn to be like Him in every way (Romans 12:2).