We are a nation that is fearful. We were fearful before the coronavirus made its appearance. The virus has just increased our national fear. So, fear is a very real thing for most of us today.
The biggest thing fear does to us as humans is it limits us. It limits where we go, the things we do, the things we attempt, and the things we dream of or set for goals in our life.
How do we understand and deal with fear?
We can deal with it from a human-based approach. That means we will run and hide and try to get away from fear. We will try to come up with things that shield or isolate us from the cause of our fear. That may work for some sources of our fears. It may work in certain circumstances. It may work for a period of time. But it will not deal with fear over a long period of time and it will not deal with the real source of fear.
We can deal with fear from a God-based approach. For us to deal with fear in a God-based approach we have to understand what God’s Word teaches about fear.
Fear is mentioned over 650 times in Scripture. So, we know that God understands fear.
One of the things that the Bible tells us about fear is: “Do not fear!” Over 200 times God tells us not to fear.
The question is why does God tells us so many times not to fear? The answer is that we as humans are fearful. The two primary reasons most people experience fear are :
Not Having Control
The Unknown
An example of being fearful because you are not in control is the disciples in the boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee in a storm. Matthew 8:23-27 says Jesus and the disciples are in a boat and a storm comes up. Jesus is asleep and the disciples wake Him up and say, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” Jesus asks them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” The disciples were afraid because they had no control of the storm and saw no way to control if they would survive. Jesus took control of the situation and calmed the storm.
Fear reigns when we are not in control. But when we turn the control and authority of our lives over to Jesus then He can be in control. Because Jesus is powerful enough to control everything. Nothing is greater or more powerful than Jesus and so our uncontrollable is His controllable.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is turning control of our uncontrollable things to Jesus so He can control them.
God calls Gideon to rescue Israel from the domination of the Midianites. Gideon was fearful and reluctant to obey God because he didn’t know if he could do it or how he would do it.
The unknown is fearful because it is the unknown and we don’t know what is come or how to prepare for it.
God is all-knowing and so He does know what is coming. He will prepare us and empower us to do deal with the unknown. And He will be with us every step of the way through the unknown.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is trusting that God is all-knowing and trust Him with our unknowns.
Since God’s kingdom is an upside kingdom then a huge way of dealing with our fears is to fear the Lord. Twenty-seven times we are told in scripture to fear the Lord.
Psalm 112:1
Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands!
To fear the Lord means to have reverence and awe toward God out of love and respect for His power and greatness. The person who fears God will pay attention to God’s Word and obey it.
Unholy fear causes us to run away from God.
Holy fear causes us to run to God and submit ourselves to Him.
People who fear the Lord are righteous. And because they fear the Lord, they don’t fear anything else.
Psalm 112:6-9
For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.
We live in a fearful time, but we don’t have to live and operate in fear; we can live and operate in the fear of the Lord.
In the Fear of the Lord Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
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