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Psalm 34:1-11 I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears (Psalm 34:4).
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What does Deuteronomy 31:6 reveal about why we don’t need to be afraid of other people? Read Psalm 56:3-4 and note what David chose to do when fear set in.
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What have you feared lately? In light of David’s example, what will you do to steer free of fear?
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Imagine sashaying through life with no fear. One woman knows what it feels like to be fear-free. Researchers exposed her to snakes and spiders, led her through a haunted house, and showed her scary flicks. No fear. Real death threats and being robbed at gunpoint left her (happily) whistling in the dark. Why? The woman has a genetic condition affecting the portion of her brain connected with fear reaction. She literally can’t be frightened.
David, much like us from time to time, was once super-scared. He’d been sprinting from King Saul—who wanted to kill him—and ended up traipsing into the lair of the king of Gath (the hometown of Goliath—whom David had earlier killed!) (1 Samuel 17:48-50). Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire! David was so petrified (1 Samuel 21:12) of the king of Gath that he decided to act like a madman (1 Samuel 21:13). His performance (including the effective frothing at the mouth shtick) must have been Oscar-winning-worthy, for the king believed he was truly loony and allowed him to take flight instead of face a fight (1 Samuel 21:15).
Around this time of great fear and feigning being crazy, David penned Psalm 34. We find that he dealt with his fear by praying to God (Psalm 34:4). He trusted in God’s protection (Psalm 34:6-7). He rested in His goodness and care (Psalm 34:8). And, David reported, “[God] freed me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). Except one . . .
You see, David was not fearless, for he feared God (Psalm 34:7,9,11). In other words, his reverent fear of God eclipsed his fear of man. What a great example for us to follow when we start to fear the stuff of this world. Let’s choose to seek God in prayer and reverently fear Him alone!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 21:37–22:29
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Tom,nthanks for a great reminder that we tame and battle our fear with fear – fear of God. When I fear what others think of me or what my kids’ future will be, you have reminded me to bow my knees and place my trust in the one who is greater than any of my fears and anxieties. Thanks for not only writing this devotional, but also living it. Blessings!
Tom, thanks for today’s devo.
It is a great reminder to us that despite of our fears and worries for ourselves and our loved ones especially so in this unstable economic climate, just like David we can count on our God to see us through our difficult times. Learning to fear Him to live an honest and righteous life, praying and trusting that our God will provide because He is our Maker and He knows our every need.
Yes, fear of our God is the way to deal with the fears and concerns we face in this world. How reassuring. My prayer for all and myself to be God fearing and trusting our Great God whatever our situations. Bless you Tom!
Fear is one factor that we often run to God for protection, for comfort, and even to save us from whatever we fear of.
This because we operate only on our physical natural realm, ( see,touch,feel, hear and taste) and often we forget the other sense ( our spirit realm )that Almighty God had already put inside of us, that is God had given us the power and authority to overcome all of these. (Isaiah 54:17).thou shall condemn, not some, but all. It is we often operate or dominated by our physical natural realm that the glory of God never manifest.
Tom, thanks for todays message. God Bless you.
I like that, Tom… “Fearless because he feared God”! So simple, yet profound… THANKS!
I’d appreciate that genetic condition, at least until it failed to warn me of something I ought be afraid of. Thanks for the call to faith, not fear.
“No one can know the true grace of God who has not first known the fear of God”- A. W. Tozer. It is said when we fear God we need not fear anyone or anything. Many well-intentioned postmodern preachers downplay the fear of God with words like reverence, respect or a healthy fear of God. While all of the above is true to some extent, there is more to it than that. There is genuine reason for fear-fear, if we willfully disobey the Lord.
In many homes for the lack of fear, children grow in absolute defiance, disobedience and disrespect for authority. In God’s family, as little children we are afraid of our heavenly Father’s rod of discipline. For—if we deliberately continue sinning after having received knowledge of the truth, believe me, it is not fun to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb 10:26-31).
However, as we mature into grown sons and daughters, the fear of the Lord becomes rooted in our love for Him. Being betrothed to Jesus, we are anxious our sins will estrange us from our Beloved. As the bride of Christ, the fear of God motivates the Church to not betray Him and seek the arms of another lover. It is the fear of hurting the heart of the One who gave His all to save us.
We are afraid lest we soiled the garment of our salvation (Rev 3:4). We fear grieving His tender Holy Spirit living in us. The thought of quenching the Holy Spirit by our self-willed attitude to experience an eon of eerie silence is very scary. And of course, there is the fear of making God angry by subjecting His Son to public shame (Heb 6:6)—to bring dishonor to His name. Therefore, to fear God and obey His commands, is everyone’s duty (Ecc 12:13).